


Pentagram

by cookiesandcream91



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, ulquihime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2020-11-28 01:29:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20958197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookiesandcream91/pseuds/cookiesandcream91
Summary: Months after Aizen’s defeat, & the gang is back to resuming their normal lives while also forming a unique friendship with the remaining Espada. As Orihime tries to move on from the ordeal while figuring out her relationship with her previous jailer, a mysterious figure falls from the sky and begins to hunt her down. But why? [UlquiHime]





	1. Chapter 1

The sea was calm, the bright stars shining over the isolated area. It was night time, the only noise that could be heard were the two men puffing out the smoke from their cigarettes. They had just finished catching pounds of fish; their catch lying inside the large nest a few feet away from them.

“I’ve never seen the stars shine so bright before.” one of them said, taking a long drag of his cigarette.

“Yup.” his companion replied, lying flat on his back on the hard rock underneath them.

The spot they sat in was ideal for capturing large amounts of fish, and good ones. It was one of the closest spots which wasn’t rigerred with polluted waters, and was just one-hundred miles from their biggest selling city: Karakura town. The money they made from the town was enough to cover for three-months worth of expenses.

“Is that a shooting star!?” one of the men exclaimed excitedly, pointing upwards.

The man next to him opened his eyes and studied the object, confusion striking his face as the object falling from the sky suddenly got larger.

“I…. don’t think so…” he answered, getting up from his spot.

The men gaped as the object seemed to change course and suddenly aim towards them. Grabbing the nests with their catch inside, they jumped from the rock and away from the sea, turning back every few seconds to see where the fiery object would land. They began to run faster, dropping their nests on the middle of the road as a loud noise was heard as it hit the water. The men screamed and hid behind a large boulder, the wave formed from the impact splashing them.

They turned around and stood, watching as a black object floated on the water. As the steam from the impact settled, the men noticed that the object was a large rock. 

“A rock from space.” one of them said, walking back to their original spot.

The men climbed back up to their original spots and slid down towards the water.

“A rock from space…. Do you think we can sell this?”

“Don’t know, but doesn’t hurt to try…”

Standing waist-deep in the water, the men stood a few inches from the rock.

“Don’t touch, it may be hot!”

The other man quickly retracted his hand, mentally slapping himself for not thinking about the temperate of the rock’s surface.

Before deciding what to do next, the rock began to crumble apart and the men took a few steps back. The deformation of the rock suddenly revealed a person; a man, to be more exact. The men looked at each other confusingly before looking back at the naked male inside.

“E-Excuse, sir... ?”

For a moment, the man stood still on the water, but then his red eyes opened and the two fisherman jumped back.

The man inside the rock gave them a blank stare before looking around, as if studying the area around him. Eventually, his gaze turned back to the fishermen and he jumped in front of them, causing the men to turn around and walk back to the surface. One of them was suddenly grabbed by the back of his neck and lifted upwards, causing his friend to stop running and scream as he turned towards his struggling friend.

“The girl,” the man said calmly, “Where is she?”

“I-I...Wh-What girl?” the fisherman standing in front of the man asked, taking quick glances at his choking friend. 

The man in front of him suddenly lowered his arm but did not let go of his tight grip on the fisherman. Instead, he continued his torture underwater, bubbles coming out as the fisherman began to struggle inside the water.

“I have no idea who you’re referring to, sir! Please, let him go!” the fisherman pleaded, seeing as his friend continued struggling underneath the water.

The strange man said nothing else, the only noise heard was the sound of bones breaking as he crushed the neck of the fisherman he held underwater.

The second fisherman gasped as he saw his friend’s lifeless body floating on the water, tears rolling down his face. The man suddenly grabbed him by his rompers and lifted him upward.

“Pl-Please s-sir… Pl-Please d-d-don’t k-k-kill m-me.” the fisherman cried.

The man tilted his head slightly before shaking his head. “I won’t kill you,” he said, watching as the fisherman’s facial expression went from fear to confusion. “But, it will”.

The fisherman turned his head slightly, eyes widening as he saw a large black creature standing right behind him on two legs. Before the man could register what the creature was and how it even appeared behind him, the creature’s large mouth widened and grabbed him by the head, large pointy teeth sinking deep into the man’s throat.

Meanwhile, the naked man walked towards the road, closing his eyes and letting his senses seek her out. She wasn’t close, but she was definitely within the calculated radius. He raised his hand and the creature recently summoned disappeared.

“Once I’m closer, I will summon you again to hunt her down.” he said, walking away from the sea and into the first town in sight.

* * *

Yoruichi wondered when Urahara’s shop became a hang out place for Ichigo and his newly found “friends”. Sitting by a corner with one arm resting on her bent knee and the other lying lazily on the table, she stared at the small yet intense match going on between Ichigo and Grimmjow. Both men were sitting across from each other, shirtless, with one arm each on the small round table. She watched as sweat rolled down both of their faces, arms trembling.

“How long have they been at this?” Urahara asked, appearing behind her.

“Twenty minutes already.” Yoruichi said, watching as the poor wooden table underneath their elbows began to shake. She liked that table…

“You almost got him, Ichigo!” Rukia cheered behind the orange-haired boy.

“For someone who lost most of his powers, Ichigo is impressive!” Nel exclaimed, clapping her hands together in front of her chest.

Grimmjow groaned towards her, blue eyes narrowing. “You’re supposed to be on my side! Besides, I would have beat him long ago if it wasn’t for this weak gigai!” He then turned his attention towards Ururu. “Yo, girl! Bring me more of that!”

Nodding her large head, Ururu opened another bottle of Sake and quickly walked over to the Espada. Grimmjow took the bottle with his free hand and immediately poured the bitter liquid content down his throat. Throwing the bottle back to Ururu, he gave Ichigo a wide smirk as he felt a new sense of energy suddenly hit him. Ichigo’s eyes widened as he saw his right arm go down and his knuckles hit the table.

“I win!” Grimmjow yelled, grabbing a cheerful Nel by her waist and bringing her down to his lap.

Ichigo chuckled while rubbing his sore hand, watching the strange intimacy between the two espadas in front of him. “I’ll get you next time, Grimmjow. Besides, what was inside that thing that made you stronger?!”

The blue-haired man chuckled darkly before motioning Ururu to give him another bottle. Re-adjusting herself on his lap, Nel gave him a serious stare.

“You shouldn’t be drinking too much, Grimmy! We still need to head back to Las Noches.”

“Or what? Ulquiorra’s not going to let me in?”

“Remember the time you tried to fight him while drunk…” Nel reminded him, causing Grimmjow to smirk at the memory.

Nonetheless, the room stood still at the mention of the fourth Espada, Urahara dropping his fan on the floor and Yoruichi jumping on to her feet as if ready to fight. Ichigo stared at them with wide eyes before shaking his head and walking over to Grimmjow.

“Did you just say Ulquiorra!? The Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra?!”

Grimmjow scoffed at him. “Do you know any other fourth espada with green eyes named Ulquiorra? Yeah, I’m talking about that guy!”

“I saw him turn into ashes and dust away! How’s he alive!?” Ichigo inquired.

“Don’t know, but we found him not too far from Las Noches couple of months ago.” Nel replied.

“He was Aizen’s most loyal Espada,” Urahara commented, “But now that Aizen’s out of the picture, what _is_ he doing?”

“Besides stand in the princess's old room, who knows and we don’t care.” Grimmjow replied with a shrug.

Rukia frowned at the piece of information, casting Ichigo a nervous glance. The mention of the man made her feel uneasy, but hearing that he would stand in Orihime’s old room from when she was in Las Noches frightened her.

“He’s not planning on kidnapping her again, right?” Rukia asked.

Nel glanced at Grimmjow before turning back to the Shinigami. “I don’t think so, but he doesn’t really tell us anything...and we don’t ask…”

“If he wanted to kidnap her again, for whatever reason, he would have done so months ago.” Grimmjow added. “Enough about him. How’s the princess doing?!”

Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other sadly. After publicly announcing their relationship to the group, they had noticed the slight change in their friend’s behavior. Although Ichigo had just recently found out, Rukia had always known about Orihime’s strong feelings towards him; and she had felt extremely guilty the day Orihime found out that they had started dating. She had smiled and congratulated them, but Rukia knew that deep down, the girl was hurting.

“W-We haven’t seen her lately,” Rukia replied, “But she should be home if you want to visit her.”

Nel smiled at the idea, getting up and pulling Grimmjow to his feet. “Great idea! C’mon Grimmy, let’s go see her!”

* * *

She really shouldn’t have been surprised, considering the stories her late brother had told her about their father. How the man would be drunk all day and beat them continuously, and how their mother wouldn’t do anything about it. In fact, she would encourage it.

As she grew up and understood the situation regarding her parents better, Sora had always reminded her to stay away from alcohol, fearing that she would end up like a drunk like their parents. Orihime grew up with that mentality, straying away from alcohol whenever being around her friends whenever they would bring out the bitter drinks. And yet despite her brother’s warnings, in the back of her mind, she was always curious as to how it tasted and wondered if Sora let his curiosity get the best of him too. Before his death, she remembered watching him drink himself to sleep on the sofa, but she never questioned him about it. She continued to follow his warnings and stay away from the bottles.

However, the events during and after Hueco Mundo were enough for her to allow her curiosity get the better of her…

Her dreams were plagued with him, reaching out over and over and part of her wonder if she was too slow in reaching out back. Why did he reach out to her? Nonetheless, even though she had only felt his ashing hand, for that brief second, she felt that spark. That spark that caused her thoughts, memories, and dreams to be occupied mostly by him…

And, it had only intensified when she found out about Rukia and Ichigo’s relationship. The events of Hueco Mundo didn’t just change her. After the war was over, many reflected how close Aizen was to winning and what type of life things would have been in Soul Society and the human world. New relationships had been formed afterwards as it helped people with coping everything that had happened. 

Taking a sip from the bottle of vodka, Orihime re-read her aunt’s letter while sitting on the floor of her small living-room. Her father was dying, and it seems like the years of abusing alcohol and other substances had finally gotten to him. Her aunt had mentioned that her father wants to reach out to her before leaving this world; and Orihime pondered when was the last time she even saw the man. It was definitely before Sora’s death, considering the man never showed up for his son’s funeral. Orihime’s memories of him were gray, and she wondered if she would even recognize him now. However, even though he was never the father figure she always wanted, she was inclined in seeing the man one more time before his passing and telling him everything; how she struggled after Sora’s death and how jealous she was of other people’s parents being there in their children’s lives while she spent her time alone.

Orihime put the letter down as soon as she heard a knock on the door. Putting her vodka behind a vase of flowers, she stood up and walked over to the door, already knowing who it was as their combined reiatsu gave it away. Opening the door for them, she gave them a smile as Nel ran in and gave her a large hug.

“Hime!!!! We missed you!!!”

“Nel-chan, I missed you too!” Orihime said, trying to breath from the woman’s grasps.

After putting her down, Nel ran further into Orihime’s apartment while Grimmjow took slow steps towards the orange-haired girl. Even though he was changed (somewhat), Grimmjow was still Grimmjow and a part of her still made her nervous whenever he was around. Nonetheless, she also found him to be very fun and almost brotherly at times.

Patting her head as if she was a kid, Grimmjow gave her one of his usual smirks before frowning and bending down so his face was near hers.

“Wh-What are you doin-”

“Were you drinking again?”

“N-No!” Orihime replied too quickly, her face heating up as Grimmjow’s eyebrow raised. 

The man gave her a serious look. “Lay off that stuff, princess. I don’t want it controlling you.”

Orihime frowned, embarrassed at the fact that Grimmjow was easily able to smell the alcohol. Had she been drinking that much? Whenever being around others, especially her close friends, she made sure to change clothes and brush her teeth. Nonetheless, Grimmjow had been aware of her slight drinking problem for months now, and to her surprise, had acted like a brother to her about it rather than scowl her and make her feel guilty. Although many things changed after the war and some friendships weren’t the same as before, Orihime was glad to have gained a friend in the blue-haired Espada.

“Hime-chan!!! Can you make us some dinner?” Nel’s cheerful voice was heard from the living room.

“Of course!” she replied happily, skipping over to her small kitchen and getting her ingredients out. She giggled upon hearing Grimmjow’s groan, knowing that her unique meals was one thing he still wasn’t used to. 

* * *

“Excuse me, sir, are you lost?!”

The man stopped walking, turning his head towards the old man standing to his right. The small animal by his leg stopped barking and began to whine in fear, stepping behind its owner.

“No.” the man replied, his face hidden within the black cloak he wore. He resumed his pace in silence, passing by a sign reading **Karakura Town: 50 KM.**

He was close, he knew. Amongst the mortals around him, he could already feel her presence. 

* * *

“I knew I’d find you here!” Grimmjow exclaimed, jumping over the couch inside Orihime’s old room in Las Noches, and smirking at the dark-haired Espada standing in the middle of the room.

Hands buried deep inside the pockets of his pants, Ulquiorra opened his eyes and gave Grimmjow a monotonous look. Not bothering with speaking to the sixth espada, he began to exit the room. Nonetheless, the next few words coming out of Grimmjow’s mouth made him stop.

“She’s drinking more and more,” Grimmjow paused, watching as Ulquiorra’s green eyes turned towards him. “I’ve noticed more alcohol around. I tried taking a few away, but she’s resistant. I think she’s hurting.”

“Her friends are there. She will be fine.”

Grimmjow laughed at the statement, sitting up. “You mean the Kurosaki kid? He’s too busy sucking that Soul Reaper’s face to notice anything! I think you should go down there and pay her a visit.”

Grimmjow watched as Ulquiorra turned around slightly. He waited for him to say something, but instead watched as Ulquiorra turned back around and exited the room.

Folding his arms behind his head, Grimmjow closed his eyes and began to doze off. He knew he would get the cold bastard one day and have him admit that he missed the human girl. He could already hear Nel telling him not to provoke the fourth espada so much, as Ulquiorra could sometimes be unpredictable. But Grimmjow was having too much fun to stop. Ever since finding out about Ulquiorra’s frequent visitation to the girl’s old room in Las Noches, Grimmjow couldn’t help himself but continue to egg him on regarding the girl. He was sure to get a reaction from him one day. 

* * *

The man stopped by a tree, the light night breeze brushing against his dark cloak. Pulling his hand out, he summoned two of his creatures. The humanoid-shaped beasts stood before the man, large claws extended.

“Go,” he commanded, his face still covered by his dark robe. “Fetch the girl. Bring her to me; dead or alive.”


	2. Chapter 2

“ _ The doctors are giving him about a month, so you better be prompt _ .”

Orihime nodded at the new information her aunt was giving her through the phone.

“ _ He desperately wishes to see you. I know he wasn’t the ideal father figure, but please pay him a visit before he leaves. _ ”

“I understand,” Orihime replied as she paced back and forth in her living room. “I will see him as soon as possible. Though…. I’m not sure what to say to him. I hardly recognize him…”

“ _ I understand, especially since he’s put you through a lot. However, I think you may find some peace in talking to him. If not, you may regret it. _ ”

“Yes, of course.” Orihime nodded. Although her father was barely in her life, it did not hurt to get some answers from him. Maybe she would ask him why he never attended Sora’s funeral. 

  
“ _ Well, I have to get going. I will speak to you soon, sweetie. _ ”

“Goodnight, will talk to you soon!” Orihime said before disconnecting the call.

Noticing that it was close to midnight, Orihime headed towards her shower. Discarding her clothes on the bathroom floor, she stepped inside and smiled as the warm water splashed her face. It was a long day, and hosting Grimmjow and Nel took a lot of her energy. Nel had gushed over the many experiences her and Grimmjow have had so far when it came to the World of the Living, her most favorite being going on roller coasters and watching movies. Nel’s enthusiasm was mostly about seeing romantic movies, which at that point Grimmjow had complained that they were all the same and he was sick and tired of them. Orihime imagined Grimmjow sitting in the middle of a crowded theater with women all around him watching romantic movies and laughed at the type of reaction he would have. However, although the blue-haired espada detested watching that crap (as he described it), he doesn’t say no to Nel’s requests of watching them; which is something Orihime finds extremely sweet of him.

She remembered what Urahara had mentioned months ago regarding the war after it ended, and agreed with him that the war had changed everyone, even the remaining espadas. Grimmjow and Nel were given the okay by soul society to enter the world of the living whenever they wanted as long as they caused no trouble. And so far, all the things the two have been doing are things that teenagers would do: going to the movies and riding roller coasters. Of course, neither of the espadas were teenagers, but Orihime was glad that they were at least enjoying the world of the living.

She missed doing the same things with her friends as a group: Chad, Uryu, Ichigo, Tatsuki, and Rukia. However, after the war, everyone wanted to pursue something on their own. Uryu had left the country temporarily in order to help his father. Tatsuki had told her not too long ago that her parents were thinking of moving away from Karakura town. Ichigo and Rukia are together, and although Orihime is happy for them, she feels her chest compress every time she sees them. And finally, Chad. Although he’s still in Karakura town, he had told her before about moving back to Mexico for a bit. She didn’t blame any of them for wanting to move on, but part of her felt that if she had been stronger and didn’t go to Hueco Mundo in the first place, their friendship would’ve stayed the same. Nonetheless, she enjoyed having Grimmjow and Nel over and even looked forward to their future visits. She wondered if the two would still have gotten together if the war had never happened and she and her friends had never gone to Hueco Mundo. Nonetheless, every time she was around them, she could see the loving way Grimmjow would place his arm over Nel’s shoulders and how the shorter espada would blush in response. 

Sighing, Orihime wondered when it would be her turn to find some happiness. With a lot of her friends moving on, she still felt as if she was behind. Maybe she should leave Karakura Town as well? The idea wasn’t bad, considering her father was now on his deathbed and she had no other family members in the city.

“I could attend a university… and major in business!” she told herself as she turned off the water to her shower.

“And then maybe I can open my own cupcake shop in the middle of the city!”

Grabbing her towel and wrapping it around her body, she exited the shower and stood in front of her foggy mirror, thinking more of her future. Maybe a cupcake liquor store?! Orihime imagined herself making cocktails and cupcakes to customers on a Friday late night at two am. Giggling to herself, she rinsed the water out of her hair and began to wipe the misty bathroom mirror with her hand.

Her arm immediately stopped as she saw something large and black move from behind. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw the creature stand on two large legs and extend its long arm towards her. Screaming, Orihime dodged the attack and ran out of the bathroom. She heard the loud growl from behind and was ready to call on her Shun Shun Rikka when she felt something grab her ankle tightly. Her body immediately slammed onto the floor, knocking her forehead hard. Nonetheless, that pain was nothing compared to strange yet painful sensation by her ankle.

Orihime felt thick rough hands grab her by the arms and turn her around so she was lying on her back. One of the creatures stood over her before crawling over her body, sniffing her. She saw its large razor-sharp teeth as it got near her face.

“Witch…” she heard it growl over her, surprising her at the fact that it could talk.

She thought about calling her Shun Shun Rikka again, but she felt her strength decreasing more and more. Her sight began to blur slightly as she watched the creature over her drag a talon down her cheek. She thought about her friends - Ichigo, Rukia, Tatsuki, Uryuu, and Chad - and wondered if they would-

Orihime gasped as she felt a familiar spiritual pressure...one that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. The pressure was strong, which meant that he was close.

The creature above her was knocked aside by something, allowing Orihime the space she needed to crawl backwards slowly. Once she felt the wall behind her, she looked up and saw as one of the creatures turn to dust while the injured one stood on its legs again.

Although it’s been many months since she had last seen him, Orihime recognized the white coattails and half helmet on his head. The way he stood as well, in front of the injured creature with his hands deep inside his pockets, was the same as when she was in Las Noches.

The creature made another attempt towards the espada, only to be blasted again with a bala. Its lifeless body fell back, blood spilling all over the floor. 

Orihime watched as Ulquiorra walked over to the lifeless body of the creature, bending his head down slightly as if studying the unfamiliar being. Many questions ran through her head, as the last time she had seen him, he had turned into ashes. But a part of her wasn’t sure if she should even ask him anything. Was he still the enemy?

As if reading her thoughts, Ulquiorra turned to face her as he began to walk over to her. Remembering that she was just in a towel, Orihime wrapped her arms around herself, watching as he stopped in front of her and stared down at her with his typical blank expression. Should she thank him? What if he was here to kill her too? Or take her back to Las Noches for whatever reason?

Something strange in her ankle caused her to scream in pain. Her right ankle was swollen to the size of a baseball, but what made the situation worse was the fact that she felt something move inside. Orihime began to panic at the strange sensation, groaning as she felt something latching on to her flesh from within.

“Hold still.” Ulquiorra said.

Orihime looked at him again as he got on one knee beside her. Her body jolted as she felt one arm come behind her back and the other underneath her knees. He picked her up effortlessly, and Orihime wanted to tell him that she was probably too heavy to be picked up. But her concern of being too heavy was pushed aside as she now realized that her face was dangerously close to his. Her face turned red and she could feel her heart beating fast. Being carried bridal-style by none other than Ulquiorra Cifer was something Orihime never expected, and she wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. She felt his grip on her tighten before he used sonido to get them out of the apartment.

* * *

Yoruichi had felt his presence the moment he had stepped into the world of the living, and she had woken Urahara up immediately. Not sure if he had come as a friend or a foe, both ex-shinigamis prepared for the worst. Considering the war had been long over and Aizen was gone, they believed that he had no reason to come to the world of the living, but then they remembered what Grimmjow had said about him standing in Orihime’s old room in Las Noches and their immediate thought was that he was going to kidnap the girl again. With Orihime’s home set as their destination, they left the shop in a hurry but stopped immediately upon seeing the espada himself suddenly appear in front of their shop with an injured Orihime in his arms.

Yoruichi was ready to ask him what he did to the girl, but upon seeing Orihime’s arms around Ulquiorra’s neck with her face buried in his shoulder and her right ankle terribly swollen, they immediately figured that he had brought the girl to the shop for help.

“What happened?” Urahara asked. 

“She was attacked. There is something in her ankle.” Ulquiorra responded as he walked over to them.

“Get her inside, quickly.”

Urahara led the espada into the shop and onto an empty room with an elevated bed. As he instructed the espada to place the girl on the bed, Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta came running, eyes widened as they saw a familiar foe looking down at a distressed Orihime.

“Wh-What is he doing here?” Jinta asked, pointing his black bat at Ulquiorra.

“Go back to bed you two,” Urahara instructed Ururu and Jinta before facing Tessai, “Bring my the supplies. Orihime has an injury I’ve never seen before.”

The man nodded and hurried the children out of the room. In the meantime, Yoruichi approached the injured girl with some clothes in her hands. She frowned upon seeing the small gap between the human girl and the espada, but knew that right now wasn’t the time to question it.

“Orihime, I brought you some clothes while Tessai goes and grabs his things.” she told the girl, raising an eyebrow at the small towel holding her curvy body within.

Orihime opened her eyes and smiled at Yoruichi, nodding her head and sitting up slowly. Her face was still flushed and she casted a small glance at Ulquiorra, who simply stood there with his hands buried in his pockets. Upon sensing her embarrassment, Yoruichi looked at the male espada and narrowed her eyes at him.

“I need to help her get in more appropriate clothing.” she said.

Orihime watched as Ulquiorra simply stared at Yoruichi, and she wondered which one of the two would blink first. Each of them stood on either side of the bed she was lying on, Yoruichi with a hand on her hip and Ulquiorra with his hands in his pockets. They stood still for what seemed an eternity, but then Ulquiorra glanced back down at her before turning his head to the other side and closing his eyes. Orihime blinked at him several times before looking at Yoruichi and shrugging her shoulders. Taking it as him not looking while she undressed, the sun-haired girl grabbed the black shorts from Yoruichi and began to put it on while being diligent in not disturbing the swollen ankle, which had now grown even larger. 

“You also close your eyes.” Yoruichi said without turning her head, hearing Urahara laugh from behind.

“You know I would never peep at Orihime while she dressed.” he teased, opening his fan in front of his face before taking a glance at the espada standing in the room. Although the man barely showed any expressions, Urahara grinned as he saw his frown deepened.

Already feeling awkward, Orihime quickly discarded the towel from her body and put on the black bra and white tank-top provided.

“I’m finished,” she said, lying back on the bed as she felt her ankle twitch.

Tessai walked inside the room with a large bucket on one hand and a large box on the other. He grabbed a short stool from the corner and sat by the end of the bed to where Orihime’s foot laid. Adjusting his glasses, Tessai grabbed some tweezers and gently touched her ankle. The small touch however caused something within to move and Orihime screamed in pain, sitting up straight from the bed.

“Something just moved.” Tessai said, looking at Urahara.

“I feel it holding on to me.” Orihime said.

“If something’s in there, living and growing, then we need to get it out.” Urahara said, rubbing his chin.

Tessai nodded in agreement before pulling a large knife from his supply box, causing Orihime to jump in fright.

“W-Wait, yo-you’re going to cut it open?” Orihime asked.

“It’s the only way. After we get it out, then healing your ankle should be much easier.” Yoruichi said.

Sighing in defeat, Orihime nodded and closed her eyes, not wanting to watch what would happen next. Urahara grabbed the skin above her ankle tightly and gave a nod to Tessai to begin. The man created an incision on her ankle and Orihime did her best not to move around too much. Nonetheless, once the cut became deeper, they noticed the small little creature shift, causing Orihime to pull her leg away from Urahara’s grasp in pain.

“Orihime, you need to stay still-”

“I can’t! It hurts too much!”

“Orihime, you must stay still-”

“N-No, I-”

Orihime stopped resisting as she felt Ulquiorra’s cold hand grab her arm tightly without necessarily hurting her. She looked up at his green eyes, as if asking him what he was doing. But her question was quickly answered as she saw him face Tessai.

“Proceed.”

The ex-shinigami nodded while Yoruichi and Urahara grabbed the girl’s leg again. Pulling his knife back up, Tessai deepened the cut a little more, trying to keep Orihime’s pained screams from getting to his mind. He placed the bucket underneath her foot as more blood began to spill out.

“I think I see a tail,” Urahara said, grabbing the tweezers from Tessai.

Gently, he grabbed the tail of the creature and began to pull at it. Orihime screamed even louder, tears blurring her vision as she tried to wiggle herself out of Ulquiorra’s grasp. Needing to hold on to something, Orihime grabbed onto Ulquiorra’s wrist tightly as her forehead leaned against his abdomen. Although the pain was unbearable, Orihime’s eyes widened as she felt his freed hand support her by the back of her head, as if allowing her to lean onto his body for comfort.

“Do it quickly,” Ulquiorra commanded.

The next couple of minutes were excruciating for Orihime, as the more Urahara pulled the creature out of her ankle, the more the pain intensified. She could feel her heart pounding faster and for some odd reason, she could also feel the creature’s pain as well. It almost felt as if her and It were the same. What was even stranger was that as she screamed against Ulquiorra’s jacket, so did the little creature. It let out anguished squeals as Urahara was closer to getting its whole body out.

Orihime let out one last high-pitched scream as Urahara finally pulled the screeching little monster out and placed it on a nearby table before quickly throwing it a jar over it. Urahara watched with amusement as the little creature pounded against the glass. 

Orihime felt herself slump against Ulquiorra’s abdomen in fatigue as Tessai began to heal her ankle.

“What do you think that is?” Yoruichi wondered, staring at the angry little creature as it continued to try to break the glass.

“I don’t know, but we should keep it alive to see-”

“What the hell is going on over here!?” 

Urahara looked up and grinned as he saw Ichigo and Rukia, both in Shinigami uniforms, standing by the doorway with their zanpakutos out. Behind them stood Chad as well.

“Ah, you three finally made it! You missed the excitement.”

Ichigo’s eyes went from the Urahara’s playful smirk, to the strange creature beating against the glass, and then finally to Ulquiorra. But what confused and worried him the most was seeing how the fourth espada had an arm over Orihime’s shoulder as her face was buried into his body for support while Tessai healed a nasty cut on her ankle. Ichigo was conflicted on attacking the espada right then and there, but seeing how the not-so-dead Ulquiorra was holding onto his friend in a non-threatening way made him stop in his tracks.

“You may want to think twice before pointing that sword at me, Kurosaki Ichigo.” Ulquiorra threatened, eyes narrowing slightly towards him. 

* * *

The creature limped back to its master, falling on its knees in front of him. The man removed the hood from his dark cloak and stared at it. Closing his red eyes, the man extended his arm and allowed the creature to turn into dust. The dust swirled around him before entering his system, allowing him to see and feel what had happened.

“The girl has grown…” he muttered to himself, impressed at the beauty she held. He saw that she was weak though, which was good for him. It meant that he could finish this mission much quicker.

However, there was another presence there too… A man… But not an ordinary man. He wore all white and had a helmet on one side of his head. And he was able to easily kill one of his creatures without even a flinch.

“Looks like the witch has a protector…” the man said, opening his red eyes again. “He doesn’t seem human, but that shouldn’t be a problem. I will just kill them both.”


	3. Chapter 3

_The heavy woman tied the thick rope around the goat’s neck, leading the frightened animal towards the center of the group. It was dark, the only light shown coming from the fire that was centered amongst the women. They all wore deep red cloaks and stood in a circle, chanting over and over._

_The goat was led towards the center, and the women’s chants became louder. The fire in the center began to manifest into different shapes. The woman let go of the rope that held the goat and pulled out a large sword._   
_“Witches,” the woman said, holding the sword up high, “Today is the day we thrive again! Long live Lucifer. Long live the witches!”_

_“Long live the witches!”_

_The woman swung the sword down, beheading the goat instantly._

_“Long live the witches…” the women continued to chant, their bodies swaying left and right, “Long live Lucifer.”_

“Long...live...Lucifer….. Long…. Live...the witch-” Orihime’s eyes widened as she stopped herself from finishing the chant.

The dream felt strange, something she generally ever dreamt of. She rubbed the back of her neck and sat up, looking around the dark room. It took her a while, but she quickly remembered what had happened; how two beasts had come out of nowhere and attacked her. How one of them said witch before being killed by Ulquiorra.

_Ulquiorra!?_

She quickly remembered the fourth Espada, and how he had carried her to Urahara’s shop. He had also kept her still while Urahara and Tessai pulled something strange out of her ankle. The pain had been terrible, and she remembered how she had held on to the Espada during the ordeal. Afterwards was a blur, but she figured that one of them must have taken her to a separate room. Nonetheless, the Espada’s strange kindness (if that’s how she thought she should describe it) confused her. While she wondered what those creatures were and why they attacked her, her mind also wondered how Ulquiorra was still alive and how he managed to be there just in time to save her. Not only that, but he had carried her to help and stood there with her while she went through the painful moment.

Orihime felt her stomach growl and she wondered what time it was, as the room didn’t have any windows and everything seemed pitch black. Pushing the bedsheets aside, she set her feet down and groaned as her right ankle protested in pain. Bending her right leg so her foot didn’t touch the floor, she jumped with her arms extended towards the door. Upon feeling the doorknob, Orihime turned it and opened the door, peeping her head out and seeing no one outside.

Limping outside of the room, Orihime walked over towards the kitchen. Feeling a funny sensation behind her head, she rubbed her neck again while opening the cabinets.

“Looking for something specific?”

Orihime turned around and smiled at the young girl standing a few feet away from her with a broomstick in her hands.

“Oh, hi Ururu! Sorry, I didn’t notice you there. Um...not really…. I’m just so hungry, I can eat almost anything right now!”

The child nodded before setting the broomstick aside and walking over to the stove. “I can cook something for you if you would like?”

“Oh that would be great! Say, would you happen to have any red bean paste?”

* * *

“What the hell is that thing?” Grimmjow asked, poking the dead creature with his foot. 

“That’s what attacked Orihime yesterday,” Urahara replied. “I’ve collected some blood samples for research, but I’ve never seen such a thing before.”

After putting Orihime to sleep, Urahara, Ulquiorra, Ichigo, and Chad visited the girl’s home and retrieved the body of the creature. 

“Is it another variation of hollows?” Rukia asked the three espadas. 

Nel shook her head. “No, this is something different.”

“But how did it know where Orihime was? The thing was inside her home!” Rangiku asked. 

Soul Society had sent her on a mission to investigate why another Espada had entered the world of the living. To her horror, it was none other than Ulquiorra, the espada who had kidnapped Orihime before. Nonetheless, as soon as Urahara had explained to her the situation and how it was Ulquiorra who saved the girl, Rangiku had reported back to her captain that the danger wasn’t really with the Espada, but with something else. 

“It was tracking her,” Ulquiorra said simply with his usual distinct facial expression.

Rangiku looked back at him, eyes narrowing. “How do you know?”

“There were traces of it outside the woman’s home. There were still humans outside. If they wanted to kill, they would have killed any of them. But they climbed up to her home unnoticed by many and got inside.” 

Rangiku paid close attention to Ulquiorra’s response, wondering why the Espada was even in the human world, to begin with. Something didn’t feel right to her about his non-violent actions towards her young friend.

“Your eyes show mistrust, Shinigami.” Ulquiorra pointed out, unfazed at the surprised reaction from everybody else, as he looked at Rangiku.

Rangiku’s eyes narrowed. “Why were you there, Espada? What business did you have being in Orihime’s home? Were you trying to take her back to Hueco Mundo?”

There was a long silence as everyone turned to face the green-eyed man, wondering what he was going to say. All of them had been curious and wanted to ask the same questions, but weren’t sure when to ask them.

“I did not come here to take the woman to Hueco Mundo.”

“Then what do you want with Orihime?”

“That is none of your concern.”

* * *

Orihime smiled in satisfaction as she placed the empty bowl in the sink. Her stomach finally felt satisfied. She helped Ururu wash the dirty plates and utensils, her mind suddenly going back to her ill father. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that she needed to see her father as soon as possible.

“Ururu, would you happen to have a spare sweater?” Orihime asked. She didn’t mind going out with short shorts on, but the tank top made her chest look even bigger.

“I-I think I may have something,” the young girl replied before disappearing into her room.

Orihime waited patiently to come back. Part of her wondered if she should go see Urahara and the others, but decided against the idea. It wasn’t that she disliked them or wasn’t grateful for their help; but after the war, she had decided to not seek help from anyone. After the war and remembering how hurt her friends got while rescuing her made her feel even guiltier. No, she was going to do this on her own. No Ichigo, no Rukia, no Chad, no Uryu, and no Ulquiorra…

“I think this may fit the best,” Uryu said, glancing at Orihime’s curvy frame while giving her a light pink sweater with buttons in front.

Orihime took the garment and put it on.

“Do you want me to get Urahara?”

“N-No, that’s fine! I need to get going and head back home. Don’t tell anyone I left, OK? But when they ask, just tell them I had some business to take care of.”

Ururu nodded, watching as the teenager exited the shop and walked out.

It was near evening time, and she knew it was too late to go and see her father. Besides, she had to her own investigation to do on that creature that had attacked her. Thinking about the creature, she figured that her home was probably smelling terrible by now. The last thing she remembered of it was seeing Ulquiorra kill the thing and leaving it there.

After thirty minutes of limping, Orihime finally reached her home. The door to her home was locked, and grabbing the spare key from underneath the doormat, she opened the door slowly.

To her surprise, the body of the creature was gone and the floor looked clean. She sensed the smell of cleaning chemicals and figured that someone (most likely Urahara) had been in her room, grabbed the creature’s body, and cleaned her floor for her. Feeling disappointed that she couldn’t research the creature on her own, Orihime instead decided to go through some of the things Sora had left behind after fixing herself a drink. After his death, he left behind a couple of boxes with the label ‘Important’ printed. While growing up after his death, she never bothered on looking through them.

Walking towards her brother’s vacant room, she opened the door and stood there for a moment. Going inside his room always made her nervous; everything was there as it had been before. Sometimes, she would go in for cleaning; vacuuming the floor and dusting the furniture. However, his clothes were still there; his favorite pair of running sneakers were still by the corner of the room, just like how he had left them before his death.

Sighing, she walked towards the closet and opened it, looking up at the several boxes on top. Not sure which one to look at first, she tiptoed on her uninjured ankle and grabbed it. The box was small, containing nothing but papers. Walking out of the room, she walked back to her living room and placed the box on her coffee table. Opening the box, she began to look at some of the items. Some of the papers were in regards to the court orders and him gaining full custody of her when she was young.

Hearing a knock on her door, Orihime finished her drink quickly and stood up from the couch. She walked over to her front door and upon opening it, her mouth almost dropped to the floor as she took in the sight of Ulquiorra standing across from her. Nonetheless, it wasn’t just the fact that he was there; it was more of the fact that he was clearly in a gigai. Helmet no longer there, Orihime couldn’t help but admire how good he looked standing there, wearing black slacks with a gray button-down t-shirt. 

“Are you done staring, woman?”

Orihime blushed, letting out a nervous laugh. “S-Sorry...It-It’s just that…. You’re in a gigai…”

“Yes, I am,” Ulquiorra replied. 

Seeing him without his helmet, Orihime had the urge to reach and touch his dark hair. Even his tear marks were gone. Noticing that he was still standing outside her door and staring at her, Orihime opened the door wider and motioned him to enter.

“Please, come in.”

Hands in his pockets, he walked inside her room, his eyes quickly scanning the area around. He watched as she limped towards the kitchen, following her slowly.

“Would like something to drink? Water?” she asked, her mind beginning to panic as she saw him catching notice of her multiple bottles of vodka.

He faced her again and began to walk towards her, causing her to step back against the wall. He finally stopped in front of her, keeping just a few inches of distance between them.

“What are you trying to do to yourself?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” she asked him.

Her face became redder as he took a step forward and his hand reached for something above her. She continued to look at him as he brought something down towards her line of vision. Embarrassed, she reached for the bottle of vodka in his hand but stopped when she saw him pull his hand away and the object out of her reach.

“What are you trying to do?” he asked, staring at her intently.

“I...I want it back.”

“Why?”

Orihime paused, thinking of the best way to answer him. “Because it helps me.”

“With what?”

She was beginning to get annoyed with the interrogation. “With everything,” she replied, her eyes becoming darker. “With everything that’s happened during the war...and after… It helps me cope. Now give it back.”

He stood still with the bottle away from her reach, which caused her annoyance and frustration to increase. First, she was kidnapped to Hueco Mundo, then her friends become injured while rescuing her, Aizen starts a war, and even after everything, she is still left broken after many of her friends move on to better things and she’s left behind. It was all too much and the only things that helped her with the stress and feelings of sadness were the few sips she would take several times a day. Not being able to bear it all, Orihime stopped caring who she was talking to and quickly lunged forward, grabbing his arm in order to fetch the glass bottle from him. 

Nonetheless, she should have figured out that this was Ulquiorra, and Gigai or no Gigai, he was much stronger than her. Putting the bottle back on top, he grabbed her arms and held her still.

“The woman I recalled was stronger than this.”

“Things have changed,” she replied, feeling tears swelling around her eyes. “People have changed. Now leave.”

“No.”

Orihime cocked her head to the side, giving him a confused look. “Why not?”

“I have my reasons,” Ulquiorra replied, his hands traveling from her arms to cupping her wet teary face.

She felt her heart beat faster, her emotions getting the best of her. It was all too much. His presence was becoming too much.

“I dream of you,” she sobbed, closing her eyes and turning her face away from him. “Almost every day...and I don’t know why… But I do…”

Orihime for him to say something - to call her stupid woman and push her away. For him to tell her that she’s weak and only pretends to be strong; but that in reality, that she’s a weak girl who’s always seeking someone to save her. For him to tell her that her dreaming of the enemy meant that she was betraying her friends.

But none of that came, and instead, he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer to him, allowing her to bury her face in his chest. Orihime wasn’t sure who this new Ulquiorra was, but one thing she was certain; she was glad that he was there. One hand resting on her upper back, she felt the fingers of his other hand run through her hair, causing a feeling of content run through her. And for the first time in months, Orihime genuinely smiled against him.

* * *

“There’s someone with her. Must be the same man.”

The man removed the hood of his cloak, red eyes scanning the now empty streets. Although he wasn’t an impatient man, the thought of the woman’s guardian killing one of his beasts angered him. The mission shouldn’t be taking this long; the girl was weak. So far, she has not exercised her true potential. But that wouldn’t be a problem; he knew that he was much stronger than her.

But her dark-haired companion though; that’s who bothered him. Something seemed off with him, and he knew that this individual was not human. He could sense that this individual was much stronger.

He knew that if he wanted to snatch the girl and kill her, that he would first have to destroy this strange humanoid individual.

“I must strike tomorrow,” the man said to himself, staring at the magic swirling around his hand.

Part of him was glad to finally meet someone who could match him in strength. It’s been a while since he had a good fight.


	4. Chapter 4

_Year: 1408_

_The woman kept her head down, messy blonde locks swaying around her head. Her feet were bare, covered with dirt and manure from the holding cell they had thrown her in. She wore a brown colored rag that reached her ankles._

_“Filthy witch…” someone spat on her._

_She didn’t look up, staring at the muddy ground underneath her feet as her tears rolled down her face._

_“Disgusting bitch!”_

_She felt something hard hit her head, causing her to stumble._

_“My good people,” the man walking in front of her said, “Please hold your anger and pray for this poor creature.”_

_The crowd around her began to murmur, reciting prayers._

_With her head still down, the woman saw small wooden steps as she was lead up to a pedestal. There was a long piece of log situated upright on the pedestal. One of the men grabbed her arm roughly and led her towards the center and right in front of the log. He then grabbed her hands and tied them to the log as the priest began to pray._

_“Burn her!!!! Burn her!!!!”_

_The crowd began to scream again, and the woman finally looked up, showing her mismatched eyes to them: one brown and the other red._

_“May the Lord have mercy on your soul, witch,” the priest said, closing the thick book in his hands._

_“Burn the witch! Burn the witch!”_

_One of the men came forward and ignited the pile of twigs by her feet. The woman frowned as her feet suddenly began to feel hot, the flames getting close to her. The crowd in front of her - men, women, and children - chanted over and over to burn her. But she would welcome the pain. She found it ironic that these people were chanting for her execution while majority of them continued to commit their crimes behind closed doors - rape, murder, and bestiality. They were all just as guilty as she was._

_“The witch...she laughs at us!” some man yelled._

_The woman laughed even louder as the flames grew, burning her legs. “You will ALL go to hell! You think you will go to Heaven by simply reciting His words?!”_

_The crowd went silent, including the priest as he held his holy book to his chest._

_“Lucifer will make sure you all burn in hell! Hail Lucifer! Hail Lucifer! Hail Satan!”_

_The crowd didn’t say anything, watching as the woman began to scream in pain as the flames licked her skin, tearing the flash apart._

_“Burn witch, burn!” a woman screamed again, causing the crowd to repeat the chant as the woman screaming laughed and cried in agony._

_“It burns! It burns!” the woman cried, glaring up at the darkening sky._

“Woman…”

“I-It burns!”

“Orihime, wake up.”

Orihime opened her eyes, meeting perplexed emerald green ones. She breathed loudly while looking around, noticing that she was in her bedroom...and so was Ulquiorra. His hands were gripping her upper arms, not roughly, but enough to keep her from collapsing back on the bed. She looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand: 2:00 AM in the morning. She had only slept for almost 3 hours.

Swiftly, she got off the bed and stood up straight in her bedroom, inspecting her body. She lifted her arms, bending them in front of her. There were no burn marks. Lowering her head and inspecting her bare legs, she saw no marks there even though her whole body felt hot, as if she had been inside an oven. That same peculiar sensation stirred up behind her neck, prompting her to rub the back of her neck roughly.

“What are you doing?”

Orihime looked up. “I...I was burning…”

Ulquiorra didn’t respond as he simply raised an eyebrow slightly, as if asking her for more explanation.

“I… In my dream, someone was being burned alive. I felt it… her agony…” she replied, “This is the second time I’ve had one of those dreams…”

Orihime didn’t further explain what the dreams were about or how they were even connected. Truth be told, the only reason why she knew that they were somehow connected was due to how the name Lucifer was mentioned.

“Your body may still be feeling symptoms from the creature that was extracted from your leg.”

She thought about it for a moment and nodded, although deep in her mind she knew that this had nothing to do with that thing being in her leg. But since she wasn’t sure how to explain it, she decided it was best not to dwell on it at the moment.

“Go back to sleep,” Ulquiorra said, heading towards the opened door of her bedroom and exiting.

Orihime bit her lip, wanting to ask him to stay. She wanted to feel calm again. For some reason, Ulquiorra Cifer, the man who threatened and harmed her friends, who kidnapped her and made her watch as he blew a hole in Ichigo’s chest, brought tranquility into her. What would her friends think of that?

Sighing, Orihime closed the door and crawled back to her bed, eyes suddenly widening in horror as she realized that she wore nothing but an old gray t-shirt and pink panties to bed. Well, at least her underwear wasn’t old?

-

Orihime finished looking through the box and placed it quietly in the corner of her living room, careful not to wake up Ulquiorra. It was around ten in the morning, and he lied on the sofa with an arm resting lazily on his forehead and the other on his stomach. Seeing him in such position made him look more human and less like a scary Espada; and although he still looked pale, the missing helmet allowed his dark hair to bring out his immense green eyes even more.

Turning around, she walked back to her brother’s room to grab the last box. So far, the contents inside have been nothing but random personal items. Nonetheless, she teared up upon reading an old love letter someone had sent Sora and considering her brother had kept it, she knew that this mysterious lady must have been special to him.

Tiptoeing, she grabbed the box and walked back to the living room. Despite its size, it weighed almost nothing. Settling it on top of her coffee table, she opened it and frowned upon seeing three items: a piece of paper, a photograph, and a hand-held mirror. Grabbing the piece of paper first, she opened it and frowned upon reading the following words: Give to Orihime when she’s old enough. Sighing in confusion, she then grabbed the photograph and analyzed it, surprised to see a beautiful young woman with long white braided hair. Her eyes were grayish color, resembling almost hers. The woman in the photograph had a warm smile as she stood by some trees and wore a long white dress. Orihime smiled, thinking about how the woman in the photograph was the most beautiful woman she has ever seen.

Setting the photograph down, Orihime grabbed the mirror and looked at it, watching her own facial expression. The mirror was pink with no decorations or brand on it. Grabbing her shirt, she wiped the mirror from the smudges left and stared at her reflection again.

“Maybe Sora put this in here by accident-AAAH!” Orihime dropped the mirror and crawled backwards, heart beating frantically.

She noticed Ulquiorra sit up and look at her, eyes narrowed questioningly.

“Th-The m-mirror!” she said, her finger pointing shakingly at the small object lying on the floor.

Ulquiorra stood from the couch and grabbed the object from the floor, studying it before looking back at her. Orihime gulped at seeing the slight annoyed look on his face.

“Th-There was a face….” she said, watching as his expression didn’t change. “Th-The face of a man...like a ghost!”

Ulquiorra let out a tired sigh and placed the mirror on the coffee table.

“Your lack of sleep is causing you to hallucinate now, woman.” he said, sitting back down on her couch. 

Orihime rubbed her eyes. She was sleepy, but she knew that the face that had popped out in the mirror was not part of her imagination. The face had appeared and looked back at her. No, it didn’t just look at her...it analyzed her.

“Woman, the time.”

Orihime looked at the clock and gasped. She was supposed to see her father in an hour. Looking back at Ulquiorra, she gave him a slight smile as he casually browsed through one of her old chemistry books from school. She wasn’t sure if he had anything planned for the day. After last night, she had asked him to stay and he did, which surprised her considering this was the same Espada who threatened her friends (and even her) months ago. With Aizen gone, she knew that he no longer served the same purpose he had before. So...was he a good guy now? Of that, she wasn’t sure. But one thing was for sure, she didn’t mind showing him a different perspective of the world of the living.

“Ulquiorra?”

“Hn.”

“Do you…. Would you like to come with me…?”

“For what purpose?”

Orihime scratched the side of her side, cheeks blushing. “Because...I would like your company…” She bit her bottom lip nervously, watching as he closed the book and looked at her.

“Very well.” he said.

The girl jumped to her feet and skipped to her bedroom to get changed, all while the Espada looked at her, wondering what got her so happy when just a few moments ago she had been so afraid.

-

The train ride to the hospital was interesting, to say the least. They had sat behind a woman with three children - all three of the kids being girls. The girls, being triplets of the age of either three or four, all smiled at Orihime while the sun-haired girl waved playfully at them. However, once they looked at the emotionless stare Ulquiorra was giving them, two of the girls quickly turned around and hugged their mother. Nonetheless, the third girl looked at him curiously and was even courageous enough to extend her small hand at him. Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow slightly at the child, watching as her small hand was about a foot away from him. Orihime looked at the child curiously and then back at him.

“Take her hand,” she said, watching with anticipation as Ulquiorra lifted one of his hands and allowed the little girl to grab it. 

The child giggled and began to tap his palm playfully in high-fives. “H-Hi!”

“Such a curious child.”

The train stopped by the hospital station, and all of them stood up. The girl’s mother turned her head and frowned.

“Ayame, why are you bothering the man? I am so sorry if she troubled you in any way” the woman apologized to him.

Orihime chuckled at the woman reassuringly as they all exited the trained and walked towards the main entrance of the hospital. “Oh, she wasn’t bothering at all!”

The mother grabbed two of the triplets’ hands. The third child, Ayame, stood still in front of Ulquiorra. She lifted her small hand again, and to Orihime’s surprise, Ulquiorra took it. The mother was about to protest, but Orihime quickly jumped in, hands waving frantically.

“We’re also heading to the same place! It’s OK, she can walk with us! He...uh...he actually likes children!”

Orihime ignored the side glance Ulquiorra gave her as they all walked inside and into the main lobby, Ayame’s small hand still tucked inside Ulquiorra’s. The mother in front of them looked at him with a wide smile before looking back at Orihime. “Oh, are you two expecting?”

Ulquiorra made a noise behind his throat as Orihime reddened. “Oh...N-No no no no!! We’re just here to see my father!”

“Well, you both look really young. Enjoy your youths! Children are a handful! C’mon Ayame, it’s time we go. Say bye to the nice couple!”

The little girl waved at them before running back to her siblings and her mother.

Orihime felt butterflies in her stomach. She and Ulquiorra...a nice couple? The label gave her a nice warm feeling, but she dared not mention that outloud. She wasn’t even sure if Ulquiorra even understood everything the woman was implying about them.

Exhaling out loud, Orihime walked over to the receptionist. The woman, an old lady in her sixties, gave them both Visitor tags before signaling them to the elevator. 

They walked in silence towards the room, and each step they took, Orihime became more nervous. She wasn’t sure what to expect - how would he look like? Sound like? Would he even recognize her?

Room 301. Orihime grabbed the door knob, hands trembling.

“What is the issue?”

“I….I feel nervous…. I have never spoken with my father before.”

Ulquiorra didn’t respond, instead placing his hand over hers on the doorknob and turning it. The wooden door creaked, revealing an older man with thinning brown hair. He had a resuscitator on his face, the machine to his right making constant beeping noise. His brown eyes were half opened, and a weak smile appeared on his face upon seeing her.

“...Orihime…” he whispered roughly, taking deep breaths between words, “You have grown...so much… to a beautiful young lady.”

His weak eyes glanced at the unfamiliar man standing behind her. “Ah...I see...you...brought...a...boyfriend…”

Orihime didn’t correct him, her eyes glued to his frail figure instead. Her aunt wasn’t lying when she said that the man only had limited time left. Closing the room door, she walked towards the chair next to him as Ulquiorra stood behind her with his hands tucked inside the pocket of his jacket.

“Orihime…” the man said again, turning his head slightly on the pillow to look at her, “I...am so..s-sorry...for...everything…”

“You never went to Sora’s funeral…” Orihime said, her voice already trembling. She wanted to hate this man, but seeing how life had taken its toll on him, knew that there was no point in such feeling.

The man nodded sadly, tears swelling in his eyes. “Did...he….suffer?”

It was something she had never thought about. All she was told was that Sora had died on impact. The force of the crash had been so great that it had taken hours just to get his broken body out.

“N-No…” Orihime said, feeling her chest tighten at the memory of being told the news. Her hands trembled.

“I ...have ...failed...Orihime….”

She wanted to say yes to him and rub it in his face. She wanted to interrogate him - demand why he was never there. But what was the point when he looked like he was minutes away from death. 

“I ...have ...failed ...my….brother….specially….”

Orihime tilted her head confusingly. Sora had never mentioned an uncle before.

“What do you mean?” she asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

The man blinked several times before raising his trembling arm towards her. Orihime looked at his frail hand and then at his face, watching as suddenly tears began to roll down his wrinkled face. Gulping, she held his hand and he began to talk.

“Orihime...you...are...my….niece…. Not...my...daughter.”

The news caused her eyebrows to furrow confusingly. “Wh-What are you talking about? B-But I was born...you and mom … And Sora… ” She had a hard time formulating her sentence. She didn’t remember much about her childhood before Sora had taken her under his care.

“Sora...is...your...cousin…” he said weakly, “You...were...brought to...me...by...my...brother…”

Orihime wasn’t sure what to say, her hand trembling against his.

“My...brother...Hitoshi...asked me...to...care...for you...to...protect...you…”

Orihime’s breathing accelerated. The man in front of her, who was now saying that he was not her real father, took a deep breath before continuing.

“I...have...failed...him… I… broke the...p-promise...I...made.. To him… I...allowed ...the...alcohol...to consume...me… ” He took another long breath before continuing. “I...failed...to...protect you…”

Orihime closed her eyes as she began to ask questions. “What about my mother then?”

The man closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowing as he began to remember the mysterious woman who had captured his brother’s heart.

“She...was...a...beauty...white...long...hair… I… only...saw...her...twice. She was...so beautiful...I figured that… she couldn’t be...human…”

Woman with white hair. Orihime suddenly began to connect the dots as she remembered the photograph from earlier. “Did Sora know...that I was his cousin?”

Her heart broke as the man nodded. “He...did…. After...the...disappearance… of your...parents...Sora...made sure ...to keep… everything...your mother...had saved...for you...including the hairpins...you wear now…”

Orihime let go of his hand and stood abruptly. She had just expected him to apologize and explain himself as to why he was never part of her life. But this she had never expected, and it was too much to take in.

“Where are my parents now?” she inquired nervously.

The man shook his head as he slowly sat up, readjusting the hospital sheets. “I...don’t...know… They...disappeared… All...I know...was that...sometimes… they… would mention ... a town… a Salem… Massachusetts…”

“They disappeared… And you didn’t bother to look for them?”

Pushing the sheets aside, the man turned towards her and began to stand up. He held onto the headboard of the bed for support. He shook his head in response.

“Forgive me...Orihime…”

She took a step back away from him.

“I...know...I have failed...Ori-Ori….”

“You kept all of this from me…. You never bothered to call us… check up on us… You didn’t even attend your own son’s funeral!”

The man breathed loudly, the beeping from the machine suddenly becoming faster. He took slow steps towards her. “Orihime...Please...forgive me-”

“I can’t…” Orihime left the room quickly.

Ulquiorra, analyzing everything that had happened, turned to follow the crying girl but was stopped when a weak hand grabbed his arm. The Espada turned his head slightly towards the man. The man’s thin chapped lips trembled. In any other occasion, Ulquiorra would have shoved a helpless trash of a human to the ground. But he could sense that this man was steps away from death - he was already getting his punishment. 

  
“Pl-Please… take...care...of her….” the man pleaded, his hand trembling against Ulquiorra’s arm.

The room door opened, revealing two nurses rushing in as the beeping from the monitor increased. They grabbed the frail man, but the man used his last strength to cling on to Ulquiorra as he slowly whispered loudly the next words.

“...I have failed ...my brother…. I was supposed...to-to pr-protect her ...and I...f-failed… Pl-Please….” Against the nurses’ grips, the man collapsed onto his knees in front of Ulquiorra. “I...beg...you...pr-protect h-her...for me...for her father...for her mother…”

The nurses picked the now crying man and laid him back on the bed before injecting him with something.

“Pl-Please!!!” the man managed to scream.

The arrancar didn’t reply, but upon seeing his green eyes soften, the frail man knew that he had nothing to worry about.

“T-Take...care...of her…” he said as his eyes began to feel heavy. A broken smile appeared on his face as the last thing he saw was the arrancar give him a slight nod.

“Rest in peace, old man.” Ulquiorra whispered before exiting the room in search for Orihime.

-

Finding her wasn’t difficult, considering he could always sense her reiatsu. He could also sense the anger and confusion coming from her. She had walked outside of the hospital, her head down and arms crossed underneath her large chest. He figured that the news must have shaken her so much that she had subconsciously headed towards a nearby empty park.

He casually strolled behind her, watching as she lifted her head upon noticing him walking beside her.

“I’m sorry,” Orihime said, head down once again.

“What for?”

“For leaving like that,” she gave him a shrug “I guess I should go back in there and see him… He may have not been there for Sora and I, but he’s been wanting to see me… and he apologized, even while close to death. I-I don’t hate him...I thought I did...I don’t…. I guess I’m just disappointed that Sora never told me any of this. Maybe he was waiting until I was older…. But then the accident happened and-”

Orihime stopped rambling as she felt Ulquiorra’s grip tightly on her upper arm. She looked up at him, noticing how he had his head turned away from her, as if looking for someone. There was no one in the park and she couldn’t sense anyone else nearby.

“Ulquiorra, is something wr-AAH!”

Orihime barely had any time to think as Ulquiorra suddenly, using Sonido, transported them to a different area of the park. Using her free hand to pull her hair behind her ears, Orihime looked at the spot they had just been standing at a second ago and gasped as a dark-cloaked figure stood there. The figure, about the same height as Ulquiorra, turned towards them; the first thing Orihime noticed about him was the cross hanging from his neck.

“You were able to sense me,” the mysterious figure said, the hood of his cloak hiding half of his face. “Intriguing. Tell me, stranger, what are you? I have never met your kind before.”

“I don’t see the purpose of providing you with such information.” Ulquiorra replied.

“Very well then,” the hooded figure replied before revealing his face. “We can make this easier then for both of us. Hand over the girl.”

Orihime’s eyes widened as the man’s intense red eyes landed on her.

“I cannot allow that.”

The man glared at Ulquiorra before raising both arms. “Very well then.”

Orihime gasped loudly as she heard growling behind them. Four beasts, similar to what attacked her the other day, emerged around them. While she knew that Ulquiorra could take them on easily, he unfortunately was in a gigai. Sonido was one thing he could still use, but she wasn’t sure about his other abilities.

“Hold on.”

Orihime barely had enough time to register his instructions before suddenly feeling her body ascend. She let out a muffled cry as Ulquiorra grabbed her tightly around her waist as he ascended feet into the air. Orihime closed her eyes initially as she felt her stomach drop the higher they went. After a while, the notion stopped and she opened her eyes. They were way above in the sky, and she could see the ugly creatures looking up at them. With his free hand, Ulquiorra pointed downwards and Orihime’s eyes widened as green particles began to form around the top of his finger.

“Cero.”

The impact was large, and she could see the creatures down below obliterating while screaming in pain. Birds flew away as trees began to collapse on one another, one of them eventually hitting a transformer. Smoke quickly engulfed the area.

Orihime was about to say something but gasped as a creature, somehow still alive, flew towards them at full speed. Ulquiorra’s eyes narrowed as he was about to fire another cero at it. However, the hooded figure appeared right behind them with a sword in hand.

Swiftly, Ulquiorra turned them around so he was facing the figure.

“Woman, your shield.”

“Y-Yes! Sōten Kisshun!”

The bright orange shield appeared, quickly stopping the attack from the winged creature. Displeased at seeing her ability, the hooded figure launched towards them with his red-hilted sword. Ulquiorra grabbed the sword with his hand, uncaring about the damage done to his gigai as blood began to roll down his arm. Nonetheless, he was not quick enough to see a third arm, with a similar sword, extend from the cloak and stab him in the abdomen.

Orihime screamed as she saw the sword sticking out from Ulquiorra’s body.

“I can let you live if you just give me the girl.” the hooded figure said calmly.

He looked at Ulquiorra’s eyes and frowned, watching as a green glow suddenly began to emit from the same hand that held the sword. Suddenly realizing what was about to happen, the hooded figure escaped before a cero flew towards his direction. The winged creation, after failing to penetrate through Orihime’s shield, shifted directions in order to escape as well but was suddenly met with a cero as well.

Still high up in the sky, Orihime continued to hold on to Ulquiorra as he grabbed the sword and pulled it out from his body.

“Y-You’re injured!”

“I will be fine,” Ulquiorra responded as he gently brought them back down to the now disoriented ground.

She wanted to protest upon seeing the blood on his hand and shirt, but stopped as she felt a familiar presence near them. 

“Leave it to Ulquiorra to create a crater over here!” Grimmjow teased.

“What happened?!” Nel asked, running towards them upon seeing the blood.

Neither Ulquiorra or Orihime replied, watching as suddenly Rukia, Renji, Rangiku, and Ichigo, all in Shinigami uniform, appeared, eyes wide upon seeing the destruction in the area. They were ready to interrogate the Espada. But upon seeing the way he held the orange-haired girl close with blood smeared on his shirt, all while she held onto him as if in fear of her life, they all knew that something greater must have happened. 


	5. Chapter 5

He had received the news the moment his flight landed and instead of heading home, Uryu went straight to Urahara’s shop. Driving through traffic, his mind went to the beautiful orange haired friend of his and how he wished he had not left town. Ever since the war had ended, Uryu felt the dynamic within the group change. He had known for a while about Orihime’s crush on Ichigo, which was the driving reason he had never bothered approaching her in a ‘more than a friend’ way. Nonetheless, the moment it was known that Ichigo and Rukia had started dating, he noticed the way Orihime had silently began to distance herself. He wanted to be there for her and make her realize that there were more men out there and not just Kurosaki; however after a couple of failed attempts, he knew that Orihime held him in his heart as nothing more but a friend.

Getting out of the taxi cab, Uryu walked towards the front doors of the shop, immediately sensing the familiar reiatsu. Ichigo had warned him during the call, and Uryu knew that he had to see it to believe it. Entering the shop, he noticed Ururu and Tessai sweeping the floor. The deeper he got inside the shop, the stronger the Espada’s reiatsu became.

“G-Good evening, Uryu. You’re back.” Ururu said.

The young man nodded at her. “Hey there. Do you know where Orihime is? Ichigo called me and told me everything.”

The girl nodded and led him through the back. As they walked through the narrow hallway and past some shelves, the reiatsu became much more apparent. Uryu felt his heart beat faster as the child in front of him stopped in front of a door and pointed at it. Nodding at her as she left, Uryu slowly walked towards the door and stopped, watching through the door’s small glass frame a sight he could have never imagined.

Truth be told, he didn’t know what to make of it.

There, inside the room sat a bare-chested Ulquiorra on a stool, wearing nothing but black jeans and black shoes. Directly in front of him, standing between his legs, was Orihime with her small hands lying inches away from the Espada’s body as the orange glow of her Shun Shun Rikka healed what looked like a sword wound. 

Many questions went through Uryu’s mind - the first one being the fact that one of their former enemies was in the world of the living in a gigai. Last time Uryu had seen Ulquiorra was when the Espada turned into ashes and dusted away. But there he was, bare chested with the girl he kidnapped less than a year ago healing him.

But it wasn’t just the fact that she was healing him, oh no. It was the proximity between their bodies. Orihime was standing in between Ulquiorra’s legs while he, sitting on a high stool, had one hand resting on his knee with his fingers twirling the end of Orihime’s long locks. Any stranger that would see them right now would assume that they were a couple. The sight was a punch in the gut to Uryu.

The Quincy felt like opening the door and demanding what was going on. However, he stopped the moment he saw Ulquiorra open his eyes and stare back at him through the glass. Orihime still didn’t seem to sense him, but the Espada did.

Even though the green tear marks and white helmet were gone, to Uryu, Ulquiorra still had the same facial expression - intense green eyes and frown. The two men kept their glaring match for almost another minute before Uryu decided to walk away for a bit, telling himself he needed some fresh air first before wanting to pull the girl away from him.

* * *

Orihme watched as the wound finally began to close. But although it was healed, there was still dried blood around his abdomen. Ulquiorra watched as she walked towards the sink and damp a small towel. His eyes remained on her worried expression while she walked back to him and began to wipe the blood from his skin. His thick eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he saw a tear roll down her cheek.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why do you apologize?”

“You got hurt because of me...because I couldn’t fight back…” Orihime wiped the tear from her face but more ended up coming out, causing her to look down in shame. “I-I am weak...he was after me, not you… I should have fought back…You could have been killed...”

“You shed tears for me,” she heard him say, causing her to become more embarrassed. “After all I have done to you and your friends.”

Her hand trembled as she finished wiping the blood from his pale skin, and Ulquiorra noticed the way she became nervous. A small smile crept on her face, confusing him even more.

“Yes, you did hurt my friends and me… But you also saved me…. And twice. I don’t know how you came back but,” Orihime placed her hand on his bare chest, her face bright red now. “Something tells me that you’re finally starting to know more about the heart…”

The two were still for a few seconds, her small hand placed on his chest where the ‘4’ would be situated. Trailing her eyes back up to his face, Orihime quickly became aware of the position they were in. He was still sitting on the stool shirtless with her standing right between his legs, and she could feel the strands of her hair being played with by his fingers from behind her back. She could feel butterflies in her stomach, and she wondered what her friends would think if they found her being so close to Ulquiorra Cifer. Nonetheless, at the moment, that concern was at the back of her mind and the least of her worries as she felt his fingers ghost up her spine until finally landing on the base of her neck. Dropping the towel on the floor, Orihime allowed her head to be pulled closer to his.

The look he was giving her was different; his eyes were softer and Orihime, absentmindedly, placed her hands on his shoulders. At last, she closed her eyes as the soft brush of Ulquiorra’s lips made contact with hers. And at that moment, her thoughts on her “father”, friends, and attacker were forgotten as she felt herself being consumed by his warmth. The hand behind her neck tilted her head slightly to the side, allowing their gentle kiss to become deeper. And just like that, her arms were wrapped around his neck as Ulquiorra placed his second hand on her lower back, pulling the human girl towards him even more.

It was her first kiss, and as inexperienced as she was, she kissed back. She wasn’t sure of many things regarding this man, such as how he was alive, when after the war he came back, and why he had visited her that first night; but in this minute, all Orihime knew (or cared about) was that he was here.

They both pulled back for a moment; the girl looked at him with wide gray eyes as his hand reached up to her face, stroking one of her flushed cheeks.

“I see...”

Orihime tilted her head, confused by his words. He saw what? If there was one thing that confused her, it was his choice of words. She knew that Ulquiorra must have been thinking of something, but what? Gulping, she opened her mouth to speak but jumped back and away from him as soon as she heard the door behind her open.

Turning around embarrassingly, her eyes widened in surprise and a large smile appeared on her face as Uryu Ishida stepped inside the room, his glare not leaving the Espada.

“You’re back!”

The Quincy turned to his friend and smiled, scooping Orihime in his arms in a tight hug as she hugged him back.

“I am,” he replied, taking the opportunity to give a stern look at the Espada. “I heard about the attack, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been there. But I’m here now.”

Orihime pulled back, offering him a smile. “No need to apologize! Ulquiorra was there with me. He protected me!”

The Quincy nodded, watching as the Espada put on a spare shirt Urahara had provided earlier. He needed to get a word with the Arrancar without her there. Clearing his throat, Uryu grabbed her by the elbow.

“Why don’t we come out? Ichigo and Rukia are outside, Rangiku has been asking about you, and I got word from Chad just a few minutes ago that he will be here tomorrow.”

The mention of the couple caused her heart to skip a beat, but then again hearing that soon all of her friends would be together, just like before, made her happy. The kiss she had with Ulquiorra was still fresh in her mind, and she wondered if he was going to stay in her world or return to Hueco Mundo. The idea of him leaving made her sad, and she told herself that she would talk to him about staying...at least for a little longer.

“Looks like the princess is done healing her prince!”

Orihime blushed as she faced a grinning Grimmjow. So far, only him, Nel, and Rangiku were inside Urahara’s living room.

“Hime!!!”

The buxom Shinigami, now inside her Gigai, ran up to her friend and gave her a tight hug.

“It’s nice to see you!”

“It’s nice to see you too, Rangiku!”

“I have so much to tell you! Come!” 

Orihime raised an eyebrow at her. She knew by now that whenever Rangiku had “something to tell her”, it usually meant Soul Society gossip. And truth be told, she didn’t mind knowing some Soul Society gossip. The last gossip she had heard, from her Shinigami friend of course, was that Kenpachi had taken none other than Isane Kotetsu on a date. The thought of the spiky-haired captain treating the younger vice captain on a date had made both women cry in happiness. Even after the war, there was love to be celebrated and not just in the human world.

As Rangiku dragged Orihime out of the room, Nel turned her head to the Quincy, watching as the man turned around and stomped back to where he had come from.

“I have a bad feeling about this…” she said, prompting Grimmjow to get up. 

The blue-haired Espada followed her out of the room, his eyes on Uryu’s back as the Quincy suddenly made a turn and walked inside a room. Feeling his reiatsu suddenly increase, the two Espadas quickly made their way towards the room and paused as they saw Uryu press a blue-colored arrow against Ulquiorra’s neck.

“Why are you here?” he interrogated.

Ulquiorra stood passively, hands inside the pockets of his jeans, as he stared back at the angered Quincy.

“You had the chance to ask the question before, but refused. Why? Because you are afraid of how she may see you? Or is it,” Pulling one hand out of his pocket, Ulquiorra grabbed Uryu’s wrist tightly. “Because you don’t want her to see you hurt the person who saved her life?”

Uryu’s eyes widened, the memory of the Espada damaging his hand months ago quickly replaying in his mind. He knew that despite the fact that the Gigai constrained majority of his powers, Ulquiorra could still fight back and just as deadly as before.

“You don’t belong here.”

“And what will you do about it, Quincy?”

* * *

Rangiku was beyond surprised as she watched with wide eyes the human girl sitting across from her take a very large sip of the Sake. The way Orihime held the bottle without flinching at the bitter taste confirmed the Shinigami’s suspicion that this wasn’t the girl’s first or second time drinking. And instead of the woman celebrating the fact that she had a new drinking buddy, it instead caused worry for the girl.

“Orihime,” she said, watching as the girl finally opened her gray eyes and removed the bottle from her lips. Rangiku eyed the remaining liquid, noticing that the girl had drank pretty much the whole thing.

“Hmm?” Orihime replied, her mind twirling in bliss. Yes, it’s been a long time (two days?) since this feeling. She had missed this dearly.

“Is everything OK?”

Orihime didn’t answer, her hand already reaching for a second bottle. Seeing what she was doing, Rangiku grabbed her wrist swiftly, the sound echoing in the room. They remained silent for a couple of seconds until Orihime finally began to speak.

“I am weak… I couldn’t defend myself back there… Watching Rukia and Ichigo together hurts…. I just learned that the man who I thought was my father is really my uncle… And there’s some man out there trying to kill me and I don’t even know why!”

Rangiku remained silent as she shifted her position and sat next to her instead, placing an arm on her shoulders. The human girl began to cry and buried her face in her knees.

“D-Drinking...helps me...Rangiku… I-I can’t...s-stop.... I-It helps me... forget the p-pain.”

“When did this start?”

Orihime looked up for a second. “Sometime after I came back from Hueco Mundo. I wasn’t sure how to process it all, I felt as if my friends were drifting apart, Rukia and Ichigo got together… And I also dreamt of Ulquiorra.”

The last bit surprised the Shinigami. “Orihime, do you know how he’s alive? Ichigo told me that he had turned to ashes during their fight.”

“No, I don’t. I’m not even sure for how long he’s been alive.”

“He hasn’t hurt you or threatened to take you back, now has he?”

Orihime smiled and shook her head. “No, he’s actually been sweet. I don’t know why he came to my home that night, but I’m glad he did. I don’t think he was expecting those creatures to be there. But he saved me, and he saved me from that man too. I can sense that he’s changed somehow.”

Rangiku’s eyes widened as she saw the girl touch her own lips with the tips of her fingers, a smile stretching across her face.

“‘Hime?”

“Hm?”

“Did you and Ulquiorra… you know… do...stuff?”

By the way her face flushed even more and she looked away guilty, Rangiku knew that something must have happened. 

“Did you?”

“It was just a kiss.”

“When?”

“Today.”

She was falling for the Arrancar, and the Shinigami knew that this wouldn’t sit well with Soul Society. The only reason why they had not sent any Captain down to fight the Espada was because he had saved the girl’s life from creatures unknown to the world of the Shinigami. In addition, they knew that fighting the man would cause severe casualties, something they didn’t need at the moment. But an Arrancar and a human together? It was never heard of before; and the arrancar in question had been one of Aizen’s cruelest followers.

“Hime, please be careful with Ulquiorra. We still don’t know his true intentions and you never know if he’s using you.”

The human girl remained silent, her hand still holding the bottle of alcohol. Even though she wasn’t sure of his intentions for being in the human world, she somehow knew that he wasn’t here to harm her or her friends. If he did, he would have done it the moment he came back to life. He had the ability to open a Garganta and inflict as much damage as possible before Soul Society could even detect his presence.

“Is it...wrong?”

Rangiku’s eyes widened for a moment, clearly understanding what Orihime was asking about.

“Would it be wrong, Rangiku?” she asked again, though still not facing her. “Would it be wrong if I...if he and I… you know… Would Soul Society think of me as a traiter?”

“I’m not sure,” the older woman replied. “I know they wouldn’t like it. A human and a Hollow together… And not just any Hollow. This is Ulquiorra. Also, ‘Hime, I really need to ask… How do you know that he feels the same way? How do you know that he’s not just fulfilling some...curiosity?”

Orihime swallowed. Was Ulquiorra using her to get sex? No, she didn’t see him doing that either. Even when she was his prisoner, he had never laid a hand on her, even after she had slapped him hard for berating her friends. If he was that curious about sex, she knew he could have had it with any other woman out there.

Sighing, Orihime quickly took a sip of the Sake before Rangiku was even able to take it away from her. She wasn’t sure what to think anymore but one thing she did want to do was stop overthinking, and the bitter content going down her throat was going to help her do that. Before she was even able to finish the bottle, the Shinigami took it away from her.

“‘Hime, drinking is not going to solve your problems.”

Orihime opened her mouth to reply but quickly stopped. Although she felt her body lose orientation due to the alcohol consumption, her senses felt something strange.

“Rangiku, do you feel that?”

The woman furrowed her eyebrows, looking around. “What do you mean? Is something coming?”

The human girl didn’t reply, her heart beating faster as she felt the creature wanting to get out.

* * *

Yoruichi wondered how long Urahara’s shop would last. If it wasn’t Grimmjow and Ichigo having pointless competition, it was the Quincy wanting to behead the fourth Espada. The latter she had never expected though. She considered Uryu to be a calm individual, but his jealousy and distaste for Ulquiorra Cifer was so evident that she wondered for how long he had harbored feelings for Orihime Inoue.

To her surprise, Grimmjow was holding the Quincy back; not because he wanted to save his fellow Espada. But because he knew that if Ulquiorra were to fight back, it would be dirty, Soul Society would get involved, and it wouldn’t be good for everyone. Urahara stood in between Ulquiorra and Uryu while fanning his face, and Yoruichi knew that the bastard was enjoying the commotion. Even he was surprised at Uryu’s reaction to the green-eyed Espada getting familiar with the human girl.

“Now now,” Urahara said, closing the fan and eyeing the angered Quincy, “Ulquiorra here hasn’t harmed a single hair on Orihime’s head. As a matter of fact, he has actually saved her twice.”

“He’s probably doing it because of an ulterior motive. Even if he saves her now, what makes you think he won’t then turn on her and kill her?”

“Ridiculous,” Ulquiorra said, eyes narrowing, “Your human emotions are causing you to have rash thoughts.”

“And what do you know about emotions? You’re just a heartless monster.”

“Careful,” Grimmjow told Uryu from his side, “Don’t think that Ulquiorra won’t fire a Cero through your chest.”

Uryu was about to argue back before he was cut off by a running breathless Jinta.

“It’s gone!”

“What’s gone?” Yoruichi asked, getting up from the floor. 

“Th-The creepy creature that was pulled out of Orihime’s leg the other day! It just vanished!”

* * *

Rangiku felt her insides go cold as she lay frozen on the floor. Her head pounded painfully, her vision becoming blurry. She wasn’t sure what had happened, or how. One moment, she and Orihime were sitting side by side, the next thing she knew, she was on the floor having a hard time breathing. She tried getting out of her Gigai, but even that became difficult to do. Turning her head to the side slowly, the Shinigami saw something moving across the floor near Orihime. No, not just moving, but transforming into something.

No, not transforming into something...but transforming into someone. A man, as a matter of fact. Through blurry vision, Rangiku could see Orihime crawling back against the wall. The Shinigami raised her hand but quickly felt her arm go limp as her vision darkened.

Orihime saw the look of fear in her friend’s face before blacking out. She looked up, still thinking about how the small creature that had entered the room they were in had transformed into the man that had attacked her before. His ruby red eyes looked at her before suddenly grabbing her by the neck and lifting her up.

“Finally I have my hands on you, witch.”

The girl grabbed his wrist while trying to gasp for air. “Wh-Who..a-are y-you?”

“I am a hunter,” he replied, “and I came here to continue the task that I had been given years ago.”

Orihime gave him a confused look, which caused the man to tilt his head to the side. “Your mother must not have told you anything about yourself then.”

She still didn’t say anything, prompting the hunter to continue. “You’re a witch, created by the sins of the devil himself Lucifer. Your kind must be eradicated.”

Before Orihime could even comprehend what he was saying, she saw something glow on the floor. Dark red liquid formed a star-like shape on the floor and before she could even see the complete shape, she felt him throw her on the floor hard right on top of the thick liquid. Touching the red liquid, the hunter pushed Orihime’s hair out of the way before drawing a pentagram on her forehead. He stood over her, his dark cloak brushing over her body.

“You may look innocent,” he said, looking down at her angrily, “But no witches are innocent.”

Orihime tried to call Tsubaki, but felt her body go numb. The liquid underneath her began to shift, this time growing and holding down her wrists and ankles.

The man closed his eyes, yet immediately opened it and stepped aside as a red beam of light passed right by him.

Turning her head, Orihime saw Grimmjow standing by the doorway with Nel, Uryu, Urahara, and Yoruichi by his side. The man stepped away from her and faced the blue-haired Espada.

“You’re just like that green-eyed one….”

Grimmjow snorted. “Please, don’t compare me to that prick…”

“Animosity within your kind, how delightful. But I have no wish to fight you. I am just here for the girl.”

“Why?” Yoruichi immediately asked, eyeing the strange symbol on the girl’s forehead.

“That information doesn’t concern you. All you need to know is that this girl isn’t who you think she is. Now if you don’t mind,” the man took a small knife out. It had strange carvings all over. “This mission has been long overdue.”

“I don’t fucking think so!” Grimmjow growled, taking a step forward, another cero forming in his hand.

“Oh, and you think that’s going to-” the man stopped talking, turning quickly before being slammed against the wall by Ulquiorra. He smirked. “I was wondering when you would show up.”

“What is your business with her?” Ulquiorra asked, holding the man tightly by his neck.

The man laughed. “You have no idea who you’re protecting.” The man then began to chant something and before anyone could register his words, he was gone.

Ulquiorra stared at the spot he had held the man not too long ago, knowing that this stranger was something he had never dealt with before. He knew he couldn’t underestimate this man. Turning around, he eyed the semi-conscious Orihime as Nel and Yoruichi began to help the girl get up while Urahara tended to the passed out Rangiku.   
  
His green eyes stared at the symbol drawn on her forehead, feeling the dark energy emitting from it. He recalled what the woman’s supposed father had told her, and quickly speculated that her unknown parents must have been involved in some dark conjuring that the girl was not aware of. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chad knew that this day would come sooner or later. He remembered first meeting his sun-haired friend and immediately sensing something off about her. Ichigo, Rukia, and Uryu never noticed; and neither did Soul Society. But these conjurers had as much Reiatsu as any regular human. There was no way to distinguish them. 

However, he did remember everything his grandmother had told him as a young boy back in Mexico. How these conjurers, after decades of being hunted, kept to themselves. How they performed their dark magic in silence, placing curses on those who even dared to glance at them. Chad remembered, as a young boy, watching priests desperately performing exorcisms on those who had happened to be cursed by the witches. His grandmother always warned him to stay away from the _brujas_, that they bring nothing but evil into this world. 

After that moment, he had not sensed witches around, thus then wondering to himself while growing up if witches even existed anymore. For years while growing up, he began to believe so…

Until he met Orihime Inoue. 

He was confused for many reasons. One, it had been almost a decade since his grandmother had warned him about the witches. Two, Orihime was far away from being dangerous. The girl always ensured to put others before herself, which begged the question: were there good witches? 

Additionally, he wasn’t sure how a witch was even in Japan, as most of them resided in the North, Central, and South America territory. It didn’t make sense, but here was a witch attending a school in Japan.

While befriending the girl alongside Uryu, Tatsuki, and Ichigo, he realized that nobody else sensed the deep darkness that was inside the girl. What was even more interesting was that neither Soul Society and its Shinigami, as well as Arrancars in Hueco Mundo, sensed this darkness. When Orihime was first kidnapped by the Espada, he had assumed it was because of her true nature. But no, it was simply due to a small but powerful ability she had. Whether she had that ability because of her being a witch, that he did not know. 

After waving his hellos to his friends, who all sat around a semi-conscious Orihime, Chad walked over to the room where the girl had been attacked. Tucking the large book his grandmother had given him years ago, he entered the room, taking notice of the dark-haired Espada who stood over the pentagram symbol on the floor. Chad had seen this symbol many times as a young boy. It never brought anything good. 

It was the first time Chad had seen Ulquiorra since they first met, originally in the park. This time, there was no white helmet or Espada clothing. Ulquiorra dressed in modern clothing with his hands tucked resting in the pockets of his jeans. He had many questions as to how the man was even alive, considering Ichigo had told him that he had turned into ashes. But right now, those questions had to wait. His friend was attacked and Chad had a hunch of who was after her. Knowing how overprotective with emotion Uryu, Rukia and Ichigo can become when it comes to Orihime, Chad knew that the best person to discuss this matter with was Ulquiorra Cifer. 

He knew that the Espada sensed him, yet he continued to examine the symbol. Not sure how to start a conversation with a previous enemy, Chad cleared his throat. 

“This is a pentagram… But back in my home, we called it the Devil’s star or the Witch’s Foot.”

Ulquiorra looked at Chad as the taller man walked around the blood-drawn symbol on the floor.

“I have heard about this ritual before,” continued Chad as he stopped and faced Ulquiorra, “Where hunters would come and draw this symbol with blood.”

Chad saw as Ulquiorra’s eyes narrowed, and he knew that the Espada was interested in knowing more. “This symbol was used to capture witches and lock them in a different world.”

“This man is after Orihime because she is a witch,” Ulquiorra stated, and Chad nodded, not surprised at the fact that the Espada had put together the pieces and figured out the basis of why the girl was attacked. 

“Yes, but part of me wonders if Orihime is even aware that she may be a witch,” Chad replied, watching as the Espada began to exit the room. “Ulquiorra, wait.”

The shorter man stopped by the doorway, turning his head slightly as Chad took a few steps closer. 

“Take this,” Chad said, extending the book towards him. 

Ulquiorra glanced at the book, immediately noticing the picture of a goat with long horns. On the forehead of the animal was the symbol again, the pentagram. 

“This book explains a lot about witches. Where they come from and the master they serve.”

“Who is their master?” Ulquiorra asked.

“Lucifer.”

* * *

“When did you start? How are you getting your hands on them? You’re too young!”

“Was it Ulquiorra? Is he the one forcing you to do this?”

Orihime’s eyes traveled from Ichigo to Uryu as they stood in front of her, and for some reason, she visioned her brother standing there too; scolding her as well. It had taken her about half an hour to become fully conscious after the attack, and that was enough for her friends to smell the alcohol on her. Previously, before meeting her friends, she would ensure to brush her teeth and change her clothes in order for no one to smell the alcohol. But today, she was caught. 

“Are you guys really that dumb to think that Ulquiorra would force her to drink?” Grimmjow said from behind, earning a glare from the Quincy.

“Well, he did force her into Hueco Mundo!”

“Idiot, that was a different time. What does Ulquiorra have to gain with her drinking? Y’all forgetting that he’s been saving her all this time!”

“Huh, funny… We never got to understand his full motive. Once this is all done, what is his true intent? What does he plan to do with Orihime?”

“Your fascination with what I do with the girl is growing weary,” said Ulquiorra as he appeared by the doorway, “Yet you don’t bother with asking her yourself what caused her to drink in the first place.”

Uryuu glared as the green-eyed Espada walked towards the quiet sun-haired girl, who was still sitting on the floor. Everyone watched, some with curiosity and others with concern, as Ulquiorra slowly took a hand out and grabbed Orihime’s hand, quickly using Sonido and transporting them out of Urahara’s shop. 

“What the heck! Where did he take her?” Ichigo asked, turning his head left and right. 

“We need to follow them-”

“Relax, Quincy.” Grimmjow said with a lazy but bemused tone. “It’s not like Ulquiorra is going to eat her or something.” 

Nel giggled at the cheesy smirk Grimmjow displayed while Ichigo looked slightly confused, Rukia pretended not to have heard such revolting comment, and Uryuu felt his anger rise up again.

* * *

Orihime felt like a trapped mouse as her head swirled a bit. Maybe she should tell Ulquiorra to at least give her a heads up next time before using Sonido with her? 

Rubbing her eyes, she looked up but immediately took a step back as she met Ulquiorra’s not too happy facial expression. For a second, she wondered if Murcielago would come out. She tried to look away, turning her head to the side, but Ulquiorra grabbed her jaw and forced her to face him, causing her to stare at him with wide eyes. 

“...Wh-What are you d-doing?”

“You were intoxicated,”

She looked at the floor embarrassingly, her jaw still held tightly in his hand. “...I...just took a few sips…”

“You talk about wanting to get stronger, to not rely on anyone to save you. Today was your chance to prove yourself, to fight back, but your foolish decision to drink led to you almost getting killed.”

Orihime gulped at his words, tears forming around her eyes even though she knew that he was right. Had she been sober, she could have at least fought back. Even if she didn’t win, at least fighting back would have shown that man that he wouldn’t be able to kill her that easily. But instead of fighting back, her head had been in an intoxicated state, causing her not to process things too clearly. 

So as much as Ulquiorra’s words hurt, she knew that he was right. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Orihime said, a single tear rolling down her cheek and the green-eyed Espada let go of her face.

“Apologizing to me is meaningless,” he said while taking her arm and leading her to the kitchen. Orihime looked at him strangely, not sure why he was taking her there. Maybe he was hungry and wanted a sandwich? 

He stopped in front of a cabinet in her kitchen and to her horror, he opened it, not turning around as he heard her gasp. Orihime stared wide-eye at the bottles of alcohol sitting in the cabinet, some of them already opened. 

“Take them,” Ulquiorra commanded, turning around to face her. “Pour them down the sink.”

“No,” She said it too quickly, prompting Ulquiorra to raise his eyebrows. “...M-My friends got them...for me. It-It’ll be a waste of money-”

“Your friends? The ones who were surprised today by smelling the alcohol on you?” Ulquiorra asked. 

“N-No…” she said timidly. “Not them… They would never do this for me… I met a few people from school…. They get them for me… I pay them…”

“I see. Then tell me, woman, what has drinking helped you with so far?”

It had helped her forget the Hueco Mundo ordeal, but only for a while. It had helped her forget about Ichigo and Rukia’s relationship, but only for a moment. The alcohol would help with putting her mind to rest from over thinking everything that has happened in the last couple of months. But once she would sober up, everything would come back, crashing onto her like a wave. 

“I will not repeat myself. Pour it out.”

“M-Maybe I can just re-return it later-”

“Did you not hear me the first time?”

Gulping, Orihime grabbed the first bottle from the cabinet and slowly began to pour the content down her sink. The next ten minutes were filled with an awkward tension as bottle after bottle, Orihime continued to pour down the liquid. She didn’t remember how much money she had spent on acquiring the alcohol, but knew that they added up to a hefty amount. And now, it was mostly going down the drain.

“Done,” she said sadly, watching the now empty bottle with a frown. 

“Good,” he said and exited the kitchen. “Now come here, I need to show you something.”

Orihime followed him, watching as he sat down on the sofa with a book on his lap. She sat next to him, eyeing him as he opened the book to a specific section. Some of the sections in the book were unfamiliar to her. 

“What is this?”

“Your friend, Chad, gave me this today. I believe it may hold valuable information.”

“...But I can’t understand any of it.”

“It’s in Spanish,” Ulquiorra responded, flipping through a couple of the pages. 

“Wait, you can read this?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Ulquiorra eyed her from the corner of his eyes before turning his attention back to the old book. “Aizen had me investigate other regions around this planet,”

Orihime wanted to ask why, but remained silent. Even though the Espada was, sort of, on her side, she still wasn’t sure why he had even visited her that first night. That night when she was first attacked by those things. 

“What does it say then?”

“It mentions how witches have existed for centuries, and how some come from different worlds. Ever since their existence, they have been hunted and burned for the black magic they possess and for worshipping their god, Lucifer. This could be the reason why you are being hunted.”

Orihime’s eyes widened as she remembered the several dreams she had started having ever since the first attack. The woman being burned alive in front of a group of people… The group of women sacrificing a goat and chanting Lucifer’s name. But why would she have those dreams and-

It suddenly hit her and she gasped loudly, facing her former captor with wide eyes. “W-Wait… Are you s-saying that I’m.. that I’m a witch?”

“Considering what the dying man has told you regarding your true parentage, it is a possibility.” 

Orihime thought about that for a moment. Her uncle, who she had thought was her father all this time, did mention that her mother was so beautiful that she couldn’t be human. What if she wasn’t just human? Was that the reason why Sora also kept this secret from her?

“Can you tell me more,” she said with a determined look, and Ulquiorra nodded.

For the next couple of hours, Ulquiorra translated major key points of the book: How witches mostly resided in the North, South, and European areas of the planet. How, after years of being hunted, they had led a low life; placing demons and curses quietly within those who dared speak ill of them. How they had been aware of other spiritual beings that at that time, they feared and decided to stay away from: those beings being Hollows and Soul Reapers. They also strayed away from the Catholic church, as the organization had priests who were capable of performing strong exorcisms on them and sending their souls to hell. 

Somewhere, during the midst of his translation, her head had rested on his shoulder and her eyes had closed, something which didn’t surprise him considering she had still been experiencing a hangover and knew that sooner or later, she would require sleep. 

Shutting the book gently and placing it aside, Ulquiorra picked the girl up bridal style and walked towards her bedroom. The room wasn’t clean, he noticed, but it wasn’t overly messy either. On one corner, she had some stuff animals plumped on a chair with a couple of purses hanging off of it. On top of her dresser was a picture of her and a young man, and he knew by now that that young man was Sora, the person she had always called brother but was technically her cousin. 

Ulquiorra placed the sleeping girl on her bed, placing a sheet over her. She stirred slightly as the Espada turned around to leave. 

He stopped in his tracks as soft hands grabbed his and he turned around to see her staring at him with half-closed eyelids. 

“Stay...with me.”

A single thick black eyebrow rose at her comment, but she didn’t let go of his hand. Instead, she tugged his hand and lifted her body up slightly. 

“Please…”

Ulquiorra wasn’t sure what her intentions were but stayed still watching her as she got on her knees on her bed and hugged him. 

“Please…” she whispered this time, burying her face onto his chest and for the first time, she heard it…

His heart. 

“Very well,” he said after a couple of seconds of silence. 

Crawling back, Orihime made space for him as he removed his shirt and laid down next to her. As his head rested on the pillow, she grabbed the sheet and placed it over him before laying her head on his chest, smiling as she continued to listen to that new rhythm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruja means witch in Spanish
> 
> Thanks for reading! please leave a comment. Things should be going faster starting from next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

She woke up the following day feeling relaxed. There were no nightmares about witches and Lucifer, something she was glad for. Her mind was finally at peace, for now.

Orihime felt the strong chest underneath her move up and down slowly. A very light snore was escaping from him, and the sun-haired girl lifted her head off his chest to look at him. Ulquiorra continued to sleep peacefully, one arm resting over his forehead while the other was still wrapped around her waist. His features looked very calm, and a small smile came onto her face as she traced a curious finger down his chest. The chest that once had a dark hole. Ulquiorra didn't stir, which made her smile wider upon seeing what a heavy sleeper he was. She wondered if him saving her continuously caused him to be more tired than usual, and a sense of guilt panged her chest.

Deciding to let him sleep some more, Orihime gently moved his arm away and crawled off the bed. After showering and brushing her teeth, she proceeded to go through the boxes from her brother's room one more time. Before doing so, her eyes landed on his unused clothes, an idea coming to her mind. Grabbing a couple of slacks and shirts from the closet, Orihime walked back inside her bedroom and placed the clothing items by the corner of the mattress. She glanced at his sleeping form and smiled, thinking to herself that when sleeping, Ulquiorra didn't resemble the terrifying creature from Las Noches.

After folding the clothes neatly, she went back to her brother's room and sat on the floor. Considering her uncle had told her the truth about her family, she skipped the piles of documents and reached for the mirror instead. Last time she held the object, a face had appeared to her. Alarmed, she had thrown the mirror and had Ulquiorra look at it. When he had, there was no face and she had felt bad for making herself look crazy in front of him.

This time, however, she would be ready. With delicacy, Orihime faced the mirror. At first, nothing happened, and a sense of disappointment washed through her. But then, a foggy mist swirled and within seconds, the white-masked face appeared.

Clearing her throat, she raised her face and blinked at it. "H-Hi?"

"I've been waiting years to finally meet you, girl."

"Y-You have?"

"Of course. I was there when your mother birthed you. I know who you are,"

The revelation had her gasping, and suddenly a million questions went through her mind. And not wasting any time, Orihime began to blabber.

"Who was my mother? Where is she now? A-And who's after me!? Why does he want me dead?"

"Slow down, girl. I can only process so much."

"Sorry!" she giggled, "I tend to get carried away. My friends always tell me that-"

She looked up upon noticing Ulquiorra standing a couple of feet away from her, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"Good morning! I...got the mirror to talk. See?"

She turned the mirror towards him, watching as his gaze went from the mirror to her face within a second.

"There is nothing,"

She turned the mirror towards herself and frowned, seeing as how the face was no longer there. But how could that be? He had been there just seconds ago.

"But he was there! I swear! H-He was even talking to me. He said he was there when my mother gave birth to me!"

There was a short silence, and her face crunched in disappointment. "You don't believe me,"

"I do not believe you would put this much effort just to try deceiving me. I have a theory," he said, grabbing the large book Chad had given the day before, "Just like your Shun Shun Rikka, this mirror must only obey you."

"You think so?"

"I did say that it was a theory,"

"How can we test it?"

"Concentrate your energy on resummoning him. This may be something that can only be accomplished with you being alone,"

"Um...where would I go?"

Ulquiorra sighed before grabbing her arm and leading her towards the bathroom. Clutching the mirror to her chest, the sun-haired girl was dragged into the bathroom.

"Get the answers you need," Ulquiorra said before shutting the door.

She stood in the center of her bathroom with the mirror in her hands, unsure of where to even start.

"That man is smart," came the familiar voice, and she looked at the foggy white face again.

"You're back!"

"I never left,"

"But how come...you didn't appear before?"

"Simple. He's no warlock. He is a being I am unfamiliar with,"

* * *

The hunter kneeled by the center of the church, shirtless with his arms extended, as the priest circled around him. With a vase of holy water in his hands, the robed-man chanted in Latin.

"For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them,"

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him,"

"Father," the hunter said, "the witch has a companion… My mission has become much more difficult. I must kill this man first. I cannot get to the witch with him around her. I need to execute him. But I do not know what he is,"

The priest stopped in front of him, watching as the hunter continued speaking.

"He is no warlock, no shapeshifter, or angel… He is not one of Lucifer's pawns either. What else can this man be?"

"Considering the girl's location and the type of spiritual activity that happens...there are three beings I can think of… One, is a Soul Reaper… their purpose not far from ours. The next are known as Quincies… there is not much information on them as their numbers are small… And lastly, there are Hollows... Beings similar to Lucifer's spawns, yet different...and stronger. They are what Soul Reapers hunt,"

"Hollows…" the hunter groaned, remembering the dark energy he sensed from that man, "He has to be one of those then…"

"My knowledge on them are limited, but it's strange to hear one being shaped like a man,"

"They must have mutations," the hunter said, "But one thing's for sure - he can bleed. And if he can bleed, he can die."

"Like every being, they also can be eradicated. I may have a point of contact who can help you defeat this unwanted foe,"

"Oh?" the hunter's interest escalated as he stood from the floor. "...And who may that be?"

"Ah, an old friend of one of our angel brethrens who serve our Lord and Saviour. He goes by the name Chōjirō Sasakibe,"

* * *

The information that the mirror had shown her was like an endless book. The mirror displayed different events throughout time, starting with the birth of her mother and how the white-haired beauty became one of the strongest witches to exist. Her mother had spent her entire life practicing witchcraft, her powers growing by the second.

The mirror had then shown Orihime the travels her mother took as a young witch. The power within her had given her the ability to easily reach other worlds, two of them which Orihime recognized immediately: Earth, specifically Karakura Town, and Soul Society.

Her mother visited Soul Society frequently, eventually meeting a man Orihime had seen before. Captain Yamamoto's lieutenant.

"Your mother became very close with this man, going far as having an affair with him and assisting him with his missions."

"What missions?"

"My naive girl, killing Hollows of course. Your mother was a very curious woman, and she became curious about them. It was during her mission to this town that she met your father, and fell in love with him. It wasn't too long afterwards that she began to visit your father, and soon enough she became pregnant. Knowing that witches were always the most vulnerable to enemy attacks while pregnant, she planned a trip with your father to a place well known for being a refuge for witches and warlocks."

"Where?"

"A town where witches still reign as supreme, despite the trials that happened centuries ago by mankind in order to hunt them down. It's called Salem. Her witch sister resided there, and the woman was to cast strong spells while your mother birthed you,"

The news had her gaping, and she took a moment to process it all. It had been just a few days since she learned about her supposed father being her uncle, making Sora her cousin. She remembered the strange dreams from before - the witches calling Lucifer. The witches burning at the stake. Were her dreams about the hunting of witches?

Setting the mirror on the bathroom sink, Orihime exited the room and jogged towards the living room. It was all too much for her to process in just a matter of minutes, and even though the mirror had more to tell her, she needed a break. More specifically, she needed to tell Ulquiorra.

She had been so preoccupied on how to tell him that she didn't notice Rukia, Ishida, and Ichigo standing in the middle of her living room, the latter two glaring at the fourth Espada, who simply stood by. Already out of breath, she tugged onto the Espada's arm and began recounting everything.

"Ulquiorra, my mother has a sister! Well, I don't know if she's still alive… But the mirror called her a witch sister! And- Oh, h-hi!"

"Witch sister? A mirror?" Ichigo asked, and for once the sun-haired girl felt hesitant about telling them what just happened. Her hesitancy wasn't based on lack of trust; instead on wanting to solve her family history on her own (though she liked Ulquiorra helping out). She didn't want her friends to worry about her and treat her as a naive young girl, despite knowing that her naiveness could get the better of herself. But this was something that she wanted to solve with Ulquiorra by her side. He allowed her to lead this, rather than trying to solve it himself.

"Oh, it's nothing! I was just reading through one of Sora's old diaries… I think he imagined a lot of things…"

"Is everything alright, Orihime?" Rukia asked sincerely, "With the attacks and all, is everything alright? We were worried that one of those monsters or the man himself would show up,"

"Thanks for thinking about me, Rukia, but I'm fine! And if he does come, I'll have Tsubaki ready! Oh, and Ulquiorra's also here," she said with a nervous smile, still holding the Espada's arm.

Rukia and Ichigo gave each other a small shrug, seeing how comfortably close their friend was standing with the guy who took her away months ago. The two of them were ready to take turns and protect their friend, even if that meant being around the vicinity. But seeing how Ulquiorra had been protecting her from the moment she was first attacked, they were confident that their friend was in good hands. Nonetheless, they noticed the distressed look Uryuu had. It had come upon seeing the way Orihime had grabbed Ulquiorra, and the Espada had looked down at her, giving her the attention she needed.

"We'll take our leave then," Uryuu said, turning around and exiting.

The couple gave a slight wave as they followed the Quincy, leaving the two alone.

"Were they here for long?"

"No," Ulquirra replied, changing the topic immediately, "It seems you have more information regarding your mother,"

"Oh, yes! I almost forgot! Let's see….where to begin…"

It took her a good five minutes to recount everything that the mirror had told her, and it wasn't until she mentioned her mother being in a relationship with Captain Yamamoto's lieutenant that Ulquiorra's eyes widened. He stepped closer to her and spoke clearly, his eyes narrowing.

"Soul Society must not be involved with this,"

"Wh-Why not?"

"I do not trust their intentions were they to be involved," he replied, "Besides, as soon as your friends find out about your mother's affair with that lieutenant Shinigami, they will involve themselves too. Seeing how you withheld this information from your friends, I can tell that you do not want them involved."

"...I...I don't. I want to solve this on my own." she replied shyly, "Is that wrong?"

"My answer is biased,"

"You're about that," she giggled at his response before changing the subject, "Um...regarding my mother's witch sister, the mirror did say that she lived in a town called Salem. I want to visit there, but I don't know where exactly that is,"

"It is in a state, located in a different country,"

"Oh! How do you know that?"

"Chad's book referenced it several times,"

"...How come I don't remember that piece?"

"You fell asleep,"

"Oh, haha…" she giggled nervously, "Well, that explains that - wait! I don't think I have enough money for two plane tickets..."

Ulquiorra sighed, grabbing her hand and snapping his finger. A small garganta opened in the middle of her living room, surprising her.

"W-Wait, you can take us there? Like this?"

"Yes. Or I can use sonido, but it won't be as fast due to the distance. It will also raise some alarms with Soul Society,"

She nodded understandingly, "You're right. Um, can you give me ten minutes? I want to grab a couple of things…"

"As you wish," He said, snapping his fingers and closing the garganta, watching as she grabbed a large purse and began collecting some things.

* * *

Rukia walked towards the lieutenant, wondering why he was currently standing in the middle of a park alone. Usually, she would be alerted if any other Shinigamis were coming to the human world, especially during times in which the presence of hollows increased. Nonetheless, there haven't been any for the last couple of days.

"Rukia," the man said, turning around and giving her a small smile.

"Lieutenant Sasakibe," she bowed respectfully, "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

"I came here for a quick errand. Sorry if my presence worried you,"

"Oh n-no, it didn't! Were you able to achieve what you came here to do?"

She watched carefully as he gave a slow nod, "You can say that. I will take my leave now. I'll see you soon, Rukia,"

* * *

A peculiar sensation coursed through her body the moment they stepped out of the garganta and onto the middle of an empty neighborhood in the strange town called Salem. Although this was her first time visiting such a place, a sense of familiarity hit her as she looked around. In a way, she felt as if she was home.

"What's the matter?" Ulquiorra asked, his hand covering hers as he analyzed her bewildered facial expressions.

"I feel…strange. As if...I belong here,"

"I see,"

She wasn't confident in that feeling however. While packing for the short trip, the mirror had given her a stern warning.

_"Girl, you will find more like yourself in that place. But do not get too comfortable, as witches are wicked creatures. They can curse you in a blink of an eye,"_

With that in mind, she wrapped her arm loosely around Ulquiorra's as the pair walked down the eerie empty street. There were old shops around, many of them selling antique items: books, furniture, and dolls. The road was bricked all over, the dim street lights making it difficult for her to see.

"You are afraid," Ulquiorra said, eyeing her.

"I...I am… I am nervous. The mirror also warned me. What if we get attacked by...witches?"

"I do not see a reason why they would attack," he said as they turned on a corner and stood in front of an old house, "Besides, I am here. No harm will come upon you,"

To hear her ex-captor say those words gave her goosebumps, feeling shocked yet genuinely happy to see that Ulquiorra cared about her. With him by her side, she walked up the steps to the house and gave a soft knock. Despite the quietness as no immediate response came, her senses told her that there was at least one person inside. She knocked a second time and looked around, thinking about how the house looked very old and wondering how it could still be standing.

At last, the doorknob turned, grabbing their attention as the door slowly creaked while opening. A woman of average height appeared, wearing a dark red dress. Her long red painted nails drummed against the wooden door as her brown eyes went from Orihime to Ulquiorra. As the woman eyed him with great interest, Orihime examined her carefully, taking notice of how the witch's irises went from brown to pink. The change in the woman's eye color wasn't the only thing baffling her as a strange lust sensation was felt.

"My, what a surprise this is. A half witch and an unfamiliar _handsome_ being showing up unexpectedly at my home. What may I do for the two of you?"


	8. Chapter 8

The witch's home reminded her of a spooky haunted house. The dim lighting made it hard for her to figure out what some of the objects were, decorated mysteriously on old bookshelves. On the corner of the room stood a large piano, and right above it was an orb.

The floor creaked as the woman entered the living room, a white tea cup in her hands. Her bright pink eyes studied the intriguing dark-haired male, her hand itching to touch him. Analyzing his aloof persona, she knew that she would have to try hard in order to get his attention. It was interesting though, watching how a being with dark energy around him could be close to a naive half-witch. Were they lovers?

_No, they couldn't be. There's no way._

"Here's some tea, darling," the witch said as she gave Orihime the cup.

The younger girl smiled and bowed her head in thanks, grabbing the white cup. The witch smiled in return, feeling the hard cold gaze the male was giving her.

_Ah, he doesn't trust me. I must be careful…_

"Tell me, what brings a young half-witch here from Japan?"

Orihime blinked at the label, feeling strange at all of the sudden being referred to as a half-witch despite not feeling any different.

"W-Well, I'm here because...a mirror...told me…"

"A mirror told you?"

"Yes… Well, he told me that my mother was coming here to give birth to me… Here is a picture of her. Do you remember her?" Orihime asked, showing the woman the only picture she had of her mother.

The woman's eyes narrowed a bit, examining the picture before leaning back with surprise.

"Oh, Misaki..." the woman said before her eyes went back to her, "Now I see why I felt some type of familiarity from you… You are Misaki's daughter."

Orihime mumbled her mother's name, a satisfactory feeling swelling through as she finally got the woman's name.

"You know my mother?"

"Of course… She's defeated me many times when we were young girls learning chants and spells,"

Orihime's interest in her mother increased even more, "I want to know more about her… I recently found out about who I really am…"

"I see…. And how old are you, girl?"

"Seventeen,"

"Ah, the prime age for a witch! Our Lord Lucifer must be pleased to know that soon, he'll have a beautiful half-witch in his arms," the witch said, noticing the way the green-eyed male narrowed his eyes.

_Interesting…_

"Who's Lucifer?"

The witch's eyes widened, her hand coming to her chest as if Orihime had just asked the most preposterous thing.

"My girl, you are in need of some schooling. Lucifer is our lord supreme. He is our saviour, our leader. We live and die for him. As we reach womanhood, Lord Lucifer starts visiting us. First in our dreams, and then in person…"

The witch almost laughed at the uncomfortable look the half-witch had, watching as she looked down onto her hands.

"Oh, don't have that look. Lord Lucifer loves all of us, and we love him. He gives us power and freedom, unlike that false God!"

"...What false God?"

The older woman rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked over to her library, pulling a thick book out and giving it to her.

"Here, study this every day for two hours. Page three has our morning prayer to Lord Lucifer. Chant it every morning,"

Orihime looked uncomfortable as she flipped through the heavy book, thinking about how she would make time for this with her current load of homework. She lifted the book and frowned.

"It's...heavy,"

"Of course it is. It contains our chants and spells… Something a regular seventeen-year-old witch should have mesmerized by now,"

Orihime nodded, feeling overwhelmed at the new task of now teaching herself on becoming a witch.

"Thank you for the book. Um, may I use your bathroom?"

"Of course. Second floor on the right,"

Putting the book aside, Orihime stood up and walked up the stairs. Her large gray eyes surveyed the rest of the house, amazed at the number of doors around. Confused with which door led to the bathroom, she opened the first one and gasped.

In the center was the apparition of her mother…

"Oh my sweet daughter...Orihime...come here…"

* * *

The witch's fingers tingled as the magic swirled around, a smile coming to her lips. Her eyes focused on the peculiar yet quiet male sitting across from her. Ever since entering her home, he had not uttered a word. His expression remained the same. One would think that he hadn't been paying attention at all, but the witch knew better. She knew he was listening and taking notes. She remembered the way his eyes narrowed upon the mention of Lucifer.

With the half-witch elsewhere in the house, soon to be under her spell, the witch now had the opportunity of approaching him.

Standing up, she took casual steps towards him, her eyes never leaving the coldness of his. Although his attention wasn't on her, she knew that he felt her presence getting closer.

"You've been very quiet…" she said, sitting next to him.

His head didn't turn to her, yet his cat-like eyes glanced at her. The witch chuckled, raising her hand towards his face.

"I am having a hard time sensing what you are-OH!"

His cold hand gripped her wrist tightly, causing her to flinch and immediately try to retract her hand back. The grip tightened as she began to struggle.

"I can sense your fear," he spoke.

The witch tried to pull her arm back, but yelped as Ulquiorra's grip tightened even more. His skin was cold, the feeling of it reminding her of death. He was an old and unfamiliar creature. Although he was no Lucifer, his aura represented something of death.

"You are a monster," she groaned, snapping her fingers and disappearing across the room instantly, "how is it that such a foul creature like you is with such a naive half-witch like her? Tell me… what is it that you desire from her?"

She watched carefully as he stood from the couch and walked towards her, hands deep inside his pockets. Her wrist still ached from where he had grabbed her, and the witch knew that he would not hesitate to kill her.

"Don't come any closer," she said, a dark pink light forming around her hand.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow at her, "You're threatening me, despite your failed attempt of getting the attention you desire from me. Ridiculous,"

Taking offense at the insult, she raised her hands outwards. A cold breeze ensued as she spoke in foreign tongue, the breeze pushing the Espada away from her. Her dull attack didn't faze him, and the witch cursed as she brought her hands up again.

"I wasn't going to kill you," she said with a calculating stare, "As a matter of fact, I want to study you. I want to know you...show you our witchcraft community! I think my witch sisters will be intrigued by you… Once I get rid of the pathetic half-witch, we can-UGH!"

His grip was on her neck in an instant, and the witch felt her body lose oxygen as each second went by.

"Seems like my suspicions were correct," he said, raising his arm up.

The witch held onto his wrist as her feet dangled a foot away from the floor. Ulquiorra watched before feeling a sudden drop in Orihime's reiatsu. He dropped the witch and disappeared, using sonido to quickly appear behind a locked door.

"She will be dead soon!" the witch laughed from the floor beneath, "Her mother's magic will be mine!"

Ignoring her, Ulquiorra broke the doorknob and pushed the door open. In the center of the room laid Orihime, arms spread out, as a gray large being laid over her. Its arm was extended towards her face, as if pulling something from her. Wasting no time, Ulquiorra used Bala on the creature, severing its head. The headless creature stumbled backwards before falling towards a corner of the room, blood pooling around the area.

Getting on one knee, Ulquiorra touched the side of her face. Her skin was cold, her reiatsu low. But she was alive, and he felt a relief. It was an interesting feeling, yet not the first time he felt it. Seeing her attacked the first time he had seeing her had awakened something in him - an anger he had not felt in centuries. After saving her and seeing how she was alive, despite being injured, the feeling of relief had gone through him. Although not used to having such feelings, he knew exactly what each of them were. Anger, relief, happiness, and even arousal.

"Noooo!" the witch screamed, neck bright red, as she ran towards her dead creature. She chanted something, trying to resurrect it, but screamed again upon failing.

Turning towards Ulquiorra, a knife manifested in her hand. "I am going to kill you, and then I am going to kill that half-witch!"

The witch's appearance changed, her body changing to that of a foul creature. Her skin green, hair gray and nails elongated, the witch flew around him, a short knife in hand. Using her magic, Ulquiorra felt himself being pulled towards her.

"I am going to rip her heart out and feed it to my children! Her mother's magic will be ours!"

The witch's yellow teeth displayed as she grinned, the Espada now standing right in front of her. Raising her arm, she opened her mouth to chant something else but gasped as she felt something dig through her chest. Looking down, her eyes widened upon noticing a claw-like hand clutching to her heart.

"H-How…i-is this...p-possible? Wh-What are y-you?"

"That is none of your concern, witch."

"H-How can a girl like her...be around a m-monster...like you?!"

The feeling of anger swept through him again, causing him to instantly pull the beating organ out of the witch's chest. Her body slumped to the floor by his feet, and he dropped the heart by it.

Turning around, he opened a garganta and picked up the unconscious girl. He entered the garganta, closing it instantly as his amber-eyes turned back to its emerald green.

* * *

_Her body, beaten and bruised, was tied towards a wooden pole. Pain went through her body as she regained consciousness, her blurry vision clearing up as the angry mob stood in front of her._

_"The witch has woken up," an unfamiliar man in a white robe said. He held a large book in one hand, and a cross in another, "Now, let us pray as she meets her retribution,"_

_Orihime's toes began to wiggle as she felt heat beneath her feet. She looked down and gasped as flames began to rise. Her attempts at moving her legs failed as they were also tightly secured._

_"N-No...No...No… Please, no!"_

_"Silence, witch! Your innocence is not enough to fool us! You are a foul creature. For the sake of humanity, you must be exterminated!"_

_Orihime screamed as the flames began to burn her feet before immediately rising towards her bare legs. The girl screamed as the crowd in front of her chanted along with the priest. Eventually her screams turned into coughs as the smoke entered her mouth, causing it to become dry._

_"Burn, witch, burn!" the crowd chanted, raising angry fists into the night sky._

_Feeling her flesh burn, the fire reaching her chest and arms, Orihime cried while staring at the bright moon above. She was burning, and she felt helpless._

_"Help me...Ulquiorra…"_

"H-Help me...Ulq...Ulquiorra…"

She felt something cold on her face, prompting her eyes to open widely. His face was the first thing she noticed, and without any hesitation she lunged towards him. Arms around him, she buried her face in his chest before crying.

"Wow, we're the ones who wake her up and she hugs _him_!" said Tsubaki, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh, don't be jealous," Lily responded, "He is much taller than you...and handsome,"

Tsubaki growled, "Oi, watch it!"

"I don't sense her body heating up anymore," Ayame said as she hovered around them.

Ulquiorra nodded once as his hand rubbed the back of the crying girl's head.

"Orihime," he called her name, and the teenager looked up at him, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not...burning…" she said, pulling away from him and staring at her fully-clothed body.

"You were never burning. The witch had put you under a spell,"

"H-How did you know?"

Orihime followed his gaze as he turned towards the mirror, gasping upon noticing the white face present. Not only that, but her Shun Shun Rikka were present as well.

"You're all here!" she exclaimed in shock, "H-How?"

"The witch put you in a dark spell, girl," the face in the mirror said. "The spell is a popular one amongst witches. It causes their victims to hallucinate at first, followed by nothing but torture."

Closing her eyes, she thought back to when she entered that strange room and saw her mother. Her beautiful mother standing there, smiling at her.

"I...thought I saw my mom...in the house...That's what I remember...and then I was in a place and...they were...setting me on fire…"

"All hallucinations," the mirror said, "You must be careful with witches. They cannot be trusted,"

Orihime nodded, feeling disappointed. She hoped that the witch would have told her more things about her mother and witchcraft. She also hoped that she would have taught her some things as well.

"How...did you wake me up? Is the spell gone?"

"The spell is gone," the mirror said, "I instructed the Shun Shun Rikka your mother created on what to do."

"W-Wait, my mother created them!?"

"Yes. Your hairpin was one of the items passed down from your mother to you. She purposely crafted it for your protection,"

Orihime sat back on her sofa as she thought about all of the instances which led her to call her six little spirits out. She knew that they were part of her soul, but she never understood how a simple hair accessory could allow for that. How something as simple as hairpins could help her manifest six spirits.

"I see…" she said, "Wait, what happened to the witch?"

"I killed her," came Ulquiorra's response.

There was a long silence between them, the Espada watching her facial expressions as she merely blinked. He waited for her tears, for her questions. He waited for her to say something, to condemn him for such an act. To call him a monster, and tell him that she was afraid of him now.

Yet, none of that came. Instead, she grabbed his hand and smiled.

"You must be getting tired of saving me all the time, Ulquiorra."

"Foolish woman," he said with a sigh, and she almost giggled at his response, "It is something I have accepted the moment I chose to come here for you,"

Orihime felt her face heat up, the next couple of words coming out in stutters. "W-Wait...r-really? B-But...won't you get tired? I mean, if you do...I can just give you a back massage! And some hot tea!"

Grabbing the back of her head, Ulquiorra pulled her closer to him, their noses touching.

"My presence in your life is enough, Orihime."

A goofy smile appeared on her face before closing the gap and kissing him fully on the lips. Ulquiorra's hand grabbed the back of her head as she tilted her head, their kiss deepening.

"Crap, should we expect a human-witch-hollow hybrid in nine months!?" Tsubaki said with a roll of his eyes.

The face in the mirror glanced at him before gazing at the couple. "Such a child would be unstoppable…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you all think?


	9. Chapter 9

_Two days later…_

The image within the picture was grotesque. The witch's eyes were wide open, blood trickling from her opened mouth. The floor beneath her was stained in blood, and the hunter could see why. Right in her chest, where the heart would be, was a large hole. The inside of the hole was black, making the hunter believe that if one were to look within it, they would be sucked in. His eyes finally noticed the organ lying underneath her bent arm.

"He's a monster," the hunter grunted, throwing the picture onto the priest's desk, "How did you get this information?"

"I have my spies amongst them," replied the priest, putting the photograph away. "Did you receive the information needed from the Soul Reaper?"

"Yes. The witch's companion is referred to as an Espada, a type Hollow species. Stronger. Very strong. He warned me to be careful. This man served directly under Soul Society's biggest traitor,"

"Remember your mission," the priest said as he stood. He opened the doors of a wooden closet, and pulled a long sword out, "Do not let your desire for revenge on him blind you from exterminating the witch. This Espada will go through great lengths to kill anyone who harms her. If we do not stop this and they were to conceive, that child would be impossible for us to contain. The human race would be in grave danger,"

The hunter grabbed the sword and nodded, reading the Latin words engraved in it. They were the words of God. He could feel the Lord's magic within it.

"One swing, and the witch will be gone. That sword has been blessed by God himself when he punished Lucifer for his heinous crimes,"

* * *

_One day later..._

"Do not overthink it, girl," the mirror said.

Orihime nodded, her eyes narrowing as she tried again. She chanted the foreign words a third time, hearing the sound of the glass vase moving against the wooden floor.

"H-How far was that?"

Ulquiorra glanced at the vase, "Two inches,"

She frowned before smiling widely and punching the air in triumph, "I got it to move two inches!"

"Witches younger than you can accomplish more," the mirror said, "You still need to practice, girl."

"I know," Orihime yawned, "But I need a break. I'm hungry,"

"Be ready in an hour, girl. I must also teach you about potions,"

She nodded before sitting on the floor in front of her coffee table. Ever since coming back from the witch's home, the mirror had started teaching her everything she needed to know about becoming a witch.

It started with basic spells - turning the lights on and off, changing the color of her clothes, closing the door, moving an item…

The first couple of spells weren't difficult, and the mirror explained that it was due to her mother's blood running through her veins. That despite being a half-witch, using magic would not be an impossible feat for her. All she needed was the determination and right words.

The last piece of her learnings though, which was moving items, was more difficult. The mirror instructed her to move the sofa; but upon seeing her failure, told her to move the vase instead. The smaller the object, the easier.

Chanting the words carefully, it barely moved. The third time she chanted the words, it moved slightly. Ulquiorra had stood near it, his eyes calculating its distance and telling her after each attempt. As her attempts continued on making the vase move even further, Ulquiorra instructed the mirror to teach her darker magic. Spells that would help her against strong enemies.

"That is soon to follow," the mirror had agreed.

Studying witchcraft while attending school wasn't easy. Instead of listening to her instructor, she would write down some of the spells she wanted to practice and chant them in her mind. Unbeknownst to her, one of the spells worked very effectively. As her instructor lectured on about various topics in physics, the classroom door had closed loudly, causing the majority of the students to scream. Ichigo and Uryuu had stood up in alarm, as if ready to fight, as Chad simply looked at her. She gave him a shy smile, mouthing an "oops" before he smiled in return.

After class, she had told Ulquiorra the incident. The Espada, who would stay nearby the school in case the hunter showed up, gave her a surprised look before taking her hand in his and using sonido to take them to her home.

"I think I'm ready for my next lesson!" she exclaimed, putting her completed homework to the side and grabbing the mirror.

"What are you going to teach me now?"

"I am going to show you how to create a wellness potion. It will help whenever another witch has placed a curse on you. One drink and it will go away,"

"OK," Orihime said with a slight nod, "What do I need to do?"

"Here is a list of items you must acquire," the mirror said as it displayed a list of numerous items.

Tapping the bottom of her chin, Orihime began to read them out-loud. Many of them she had at home: onion, garlic, mushrooms, salt…

But as she landed on the last couple of items in the list, her eyebrows furrowed in both confusion and disgust. "Monkey's brain? Rat feet? A-And a pig's heart? Do I really need these things?"

"The potion won't be effective without them, girl,"

"But, how do I get those items?"

"Use a manifestation spell and summon these items," the mirror said tiredly, and she giggled nervously.

"Ha ha, that's right. OK, I got this…"

Remembering the numerous spells the mirror taught her, she closed her eyes and began to chant. As usual whenever chanting a spell, her hands felt some pressure as she tried to level her breathing. There was a sudden noise and she opened her eyes, gasping as the animal parts fell onto her kitchen countertop, blooding the area.

"What do I do now?"

"Start boiling the items for ten minutes," the mirror instructed.

Grabbing her oldest pot, she placed it on the stove and started the fire. She placed four cups of water inside and waited for it to begin boiling. As she waited, Orihime walked over to Ulquiorra. For the last three days, he had been non-stop reading the book Chad had given him, as well as the book he took from the dead witch's home.

"What are you reading?" she asked, sitting next to him.

His eyes remained on the pages as he replied, "Understanding more about you. To say that I am surprised is an understatement. You are much stronger,"

"I don't feel stronger,"

He finally looked at her, eyes narrowing. "You have become stronger, Orihime. You may not be able to hold a zanpakuto, but you have something else."

"What if...I don't become strong enough? What if that man...hurts us-"

"I will not allow him near you," Ulquiorra stated firmly before pointing towards the kitchen, "The water is boiling,"

Stumbling off the couch, she jogged towards the kitchen and began to add the initial ingredients. Nothing happened as she did, though she figured that would be expected as the animal parts hadn't been added yet. Turning around, she looked at them and frowned. She could wear gloves, but then she would have to wash them.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and she pointed towards the bloody items.

"I...am scared of picking them up,"

He gave her an incredulous look before sighing, "You weren't afraid of me, yet you're afraid of dead animal pieces,"

"It grosses me out," she mumbled, "Can you...put them in for me?"

Orihime almost giggled as she noticed the slight eye roll he gave. He threw the animal parts in the pot before watching his hands, and she watched carefully as nothing happened.

"You need to say the chant, girl," the mirror reminded.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and began to say the foreign words. The pressure was felt again, and suddenly she heard the boiling of the content slow down. Opening her eyes, she noticed the content had turned into an orange thick liquid.

"Stir it a couple of times, and let it bowl for ten minutes,"

"What do I do afterwards?"

"Pour the content into containers easy for you to carry, and have them with you at all times,"

She nodded while fetching old plastic water bottles. It was the only thing she could think of.

"Grimmjow and Nel are here," Ulquiorra said, just as a soft knock was heard.

Orihime opened the door and smiled as Nel ran inside and hugged her tightly.

"'Hime! It's been a while! How's everything going!? Oh, what are you cooking? Can Nel taste?"

"Looks disgusting," Grimmjow, who had sauntered towards the kitchen, said while looking at the pot with disgust, "Yet again, not surprised since this is the Princess's cooking anyway,"

"It's not food," Orihime said defensively, "I am learning how to make potions! The mirror has been teaching me a lot for the last few days,"

"The mirror?" Grimmjow asked with a raised eyebrow, staring at the blank mirror before looking at Ulquiorra, "Did she drink or something?"

"No, she is sober," Ulquiorra said in a serious tone, "And the mirror holds a spirit that served her mother. It is teaching her everything she needs to know to strengthen her powers,"

"I still see no spirit," Grimmjow said, picking up the mirror and moving it around carelessly.

"Oh no, Grimmjow please be careful!"

"Or what, princess? The mirror is going to punch me in the face?"

"No, but I can chant some strong spells and bring you down, Hollow,"

Grimmjow and Nel stared at the mirror with wide eyes, intrigued at the ghostly white face which suddenly appeared.

"Shit, the mirror does talk. Did it threaten you too? He doesn't seem too fond of us," Grimmjow asked Ulquiorra with a smirk.

"No, but it took some time for him to appear to me. It was only when Orihime was injured by the witch that he appeared and summoned her Shun Shun Rikka,"

"Interesting," Nel said as she turned towards the sun-haired girl, "Orihime, what can you do as a witch? Or...half a witch… Can you show us!? Nel would like to see,"

"Of course! Hm, let's see… Oh! I know what to do!"

Raising her hands towards Grimmjow, she closed her eyes and began to chant. Thanks to the endless practice, she felt more comfortable with her powers. And even though she wasn't nearly as strong as her mother, she was becoming content with her accomplishments.

As she finished, she heard a small gasp coming from Nel before hearing the sound of barking. Opening her eyes, she stared at the blue-furred puppy barking and growling at her. Uh oh, this wasn't supposed to happen...

"Oh no! I turned Grimmjow into a dog! Mirror, what did I do wrong?"

"You messed up some of the words, and turned your friend into a canine,"

"Oh no! I am so sorry Grimmjow! I am so sorry Nel! I will turn him back to normal immediately!"

"He's actually cuter like this," Nel said, giggling as the puppy growled at her.

"Although I do not agree with the statement, I do not see the problem with leaving him in this state. It suits him," Ulquiorra added, staring down at the dog as it growled at him.

"Well, he is cute… But I should turn him back to normal. Mirror, what's the spell for-"

Orihime turned her head as the phone rang. Rushing to her living room, she glanced at the screen and saw her aunt's name. Not a great timing...

"Hello?"

_ "Hi Darling, how are you?" _

"I'm good! Just...making some dinner with friends,"

_ "That's good. Say hi to Tatsuki for me if she's there. Listen, your father is getting buried tomorrow at nine in the morning. I will send you the location once I confirm," _

"I see. Are you...coming?"

_ "To be frank with you sweetie, no. I never liked the man. I thought about it, but he is a scum. I know I shouldn't be speaking ill of the dead, especially since he's your father. But I am just unable to go," _

Orihime nodded against the phone, "I understand. I will go...briefly,"

She wanted to tell the woman everything - how the man wasn't truly her father, but an uncle instead. How her real father was gone, as well as her real mother. But considering the circumstances and the hunter who was after her, she didn't want the older woman getting involved.

_"That's good. Well, I'll let you go so you can go back to your friends. Good night, Orihime,"_

"Goodnight,"

* * *

The hunter watched as the two angels appeared in front of him. They both had red eyes, and carried the symbol of God around their necks. They stood at nearly six-feet tall, their heads shaved clean. The white wings behind their backs retracted.

"My brothers," the hunter said, "Tomorrow, we kill the witch."


	10. Chapter 10

_Next Day…_

It was raining hard, and Orihime found it ironic. The weather had been the same during Sora's small funeral. The events from that day were still clear to her. She remembered she had dirtied her shoes on the muddy ground by accident, and her aunt just sighed before pulling some napkins out.

Her gray eyes watched as the two men lowered the casket into the ground. Although her uncle was never the best while growing up, she felt sad at the fact that no one in the family showed up to his burial. Last night, she had reached out to some distinct cousins and previous neighbors. All of them replied with some excuses: '_I am sorry for your loss, Orihime. But I have a hair appointment_' or '_I am sorry, but I don't have a way of getting there_'. Although they were not mean in their responses, there was some bitterness. That proved to her how, at the end of the day, her uncle's behavior drove everyone away.

The men finished the burial and left, leaving her and Ulquiorra alone in the cemetery. He watched her as she walked over to the grave and placed a single flower on top. Last night, she had told him the details about her childhood. How the man, becoming her adopted father, would beat her. Her older cousin, Sora, would get in between and take the majority of the blows for her. The man's wife wasn't any better. As the husband laid asleep on the couch, still drunk, the woman would bring strange men into the home for sexual encounters. During these times, the young Orihime knew how to hide. Sora had always told her to hide deep inside the closet until the men were gone. She explained to Ulquiorra how she would always hide with a flashlight - it was the only way to do her homework so she wouldn't get yelled at by her teachers the next day.

Ever since coming back alive, Ulquiorra knew that something was different about him. And he knew what it was - the heart. Somehow, he had come back with the beating organ in his chest, and it originally caused his mind to race with thoughts. Thoughts about the battle between him and the orange-haired Shinigami had before his mind finally settled on her, the sun-haired girl. The urge to see and touch her had swept through him like a wave, and he controlled himself from opening a garganta and seeing her. He knew that his presence in the human world would raise alarms, and his recovery had been slow.

For months he wondered Hueco Mundo, his mind constantly about the woman. He remembered what she told him minutes before the shinigami had appeared and fought him. She had expressed her thoughts about friendship and love, and he knew that she had been thinking about Ichigo Kurosaki. Anger had swept through him at the thought, unleashing his anger on Arrancars who dared get in his way before being found by Grimmjow and Nel.

Ulquiorra heard her sniff, his eyes landing on her face as she wiped some tears away. She was beyond innocent, and he couldn't help but wonder how she could open her heart so purely to him. But instead of exploiting her heart, it made him want to protect her even more.

"I think I'm ready to leave," she said, turning around.

The rain increased, damping both of their clothes quickly. She smiled cheesily at him as she used her hands to catch the water, and he cocked his head to the side at her sudden childish act. Her smile widened, bright pink lips shining amidst the rain, and he suddenly got the urge to kiss her. Kissing her always brought a warmness to his body, and right now, he wanted that again.

Uncaring of the rain, he started walking towards her, his hands ready to grab her by her waist and pull her curvaceous body towards him.

The energy around them changed drastically, causing Ulquiorra to suddenly realize what was happening. Seeing her perplexed facial expression, he knew that she felt the same energy as well. Ulquiorra readied to use sonido but stopped as two robed-men appeared.

The men chanted something, creating a barrier between the three of them and Orihime.

"Ulquiorra!"

Orihime ran towards her but stopped as a rough hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back with such force that she fell backwards on the muddy ground.

"I finally got you, witch," the hunter said before meeting Ulquiorra's intense glare, "I finally got the witch, Espada. Now watch this,"

The hunter began to chant in Latin as he pulled the carved sword, its blade turning blue. The pentagram appeared underneath her, turning like a clock. Her calls for Tsubaki failed, and the Hunter laughed.

"My magic is stronger than yours, witch. It paralyses any abilities you have,"

Hideous arms erupted from underneath the ground, grabbing her ankles and wrists before pulling her downward towards the ground. With a wicked smile, the man stood over her, yelling into the sky.

"And by our Lord and Saviour, I pronounce you, witch, g-"

The energy changed drastically, causing the hunter to turn his head. The Espada was no longer in human clothes. Now, he wore nothing but white. Half of his head was covered in a bony helmet, and the Hunter suddenly realized what had happened. The shinigami had warned him about this, but the man failed to tell him how incredibly strong this Espada became by simply leaving his fake human body.

In such abrupt movement, the two angels who had accompanied him were slaughtered within seconds. The Espada had driven his arm with vigorous force through their chests before discarding their bodies to the side.

"You monster," the hunter mumbled before chanting more magic, making the barrier stronger.

Nonetheless, it was no match for the enraged Espada. Extending his arm, Ulquiorra used Sonido and broke through, shocking the hunter.

"Impossible! You are an impure soul! You shouldn't have been able to UGH-"

Ulquiorra's hand was around his neck in an instant, causing the magic to dissipate. With a snap of his fingers, a garganta opened behind them.

"I will show you what an impure soul is," came Ulquiorra's voice before disappearing into the garganta with the hunter.

* * *

Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra's sudden spike in Reiatsu within seconds, and he didn't need to second guess what was happening.

"We need to get to Orihime," Nel said while standing next to him, "I no longer sense Ulquiorra,"

With a nod, the two used sonido towards the area where her reiatsu was the strongest. Minutes later, they landed at a cemetery. The sun-haired girl stood with shocked wide eyes, and they quickly noticed the two dead strangers nearby. Considering the type of damage that sealed their fate, they knew that Ulquiorra gave the ultimate blow.

"Orihime, are you OK?"

"Y-Yes,"

"Where's Ulquiorra? And what the hell happened here!?"

Just as Grimmjow finished asking his questions, Ichigo, Rukia, and Urahara appeared. They took immediate notice of the damage left behind.

"He came for me…" Orihime stated, gulping, "Th-The hunter...came for me… Ulquiorra killed them...a-and took him a-away. He opened a garganta and...took him away…"

"He must have taken him to Hueco Mundo to fight," Ichigo stated, noticing Ulquiorra's gigai, "Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure alone can wreak havoc around here, and that would get Soul Society involved,"

"I need to get to him!" Orihime said, approaching Urahara, "Please take me there!"

"Orihime, you can get injured and-"

"Take me there now!"

Urahara remembered the Orihime from many months ago: shy and timid. He had told her the same thing about her strength, and she had taken the criticism. But now that she knew that she was much more than a human, he knew that she wouldn't be backing down.

With a sigh, the man nodded. "Fine,"

* * *

The hunter's eyes scanned the area, which was nothing but desert. The energy felt dead, and for a moment it reminded him of Hell. Humans always thought that Hell was a place where souls constantly burned in endless fire. After performing their sins, they would run to their churches and pray to God to not be sent to Hell upon their deaths. Yet, they would sin again…

But he knew this wasn't Hell, it was Hueco Mundo. A parallel universe to Hell.

"You dragged me here for a fight," he said, meeting Ulquiorra's calculating gaze. He chuckled before removing his robe, standing in nothing but dark pants. "I accept your fight, Espada,"

He took out his sword, chanting the words of God. There was pressure on his back before a pair of white feathery wings appeared. The wings began to flap, raising him off the ground. Sword outward, he flew towards Ulquiorra with striking speed.

Despite his increased speed, Ulquiorra was able to predict his moves. Raising Murcielago, he stopped the hunter's attack.

"You won't be able to defeat me," the hunter taunted, "and even if you do, you'll have more challenges to overcome. The girl is reaching her prime year, and soon she must give her innocence to her leader, Lucifer."

He laughed as Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed, "You know nothing of Lucifer, Espada. Lucifer was one of God's angels. But he was a traitor, so he was sent to the pits of Hell by God himself! The witches pray to him, their magic is derived from him! And in return, they surrender their innocence to him! You think I'll be your ultimate challenge, Espada? I was told that you faded away once. You may be strong, but you're not invisible,"

"I see," Ulquiorra finally said, "Your hope is that I disappear,"

"Why, of course. The witch must be killed. Witches are not meant to walk the Earth! She is one of Lucifer's spawns! And must be destroyed!"

"Very well then," Ulquiorra kicked the hunter away before raising his zanpakuto, "Enclose, Murciélago."

The hunter's eyes widened as green liquid rained down on him, his eyes fixed on the massive wings behind the Espada's back. Although they were two different beings, the image of Lucifer went through his mind. The horns and black wings - it was as if the Espada was another version of God's fallen angel.

"Lord, give me strength," the hunter mumbled before taking a leap towards his foe. The wings in his back extended, his eyes turning a darker red as the Espada said something else.

"Segunda Etapa,"

* * *

Running as quickly as she could, Orihime ran through the portal. She noticed the exit up ahead, her eyes quickly taking the familiarity of the white sands of Hueco Mundo. As she exited the garganta, her heart skipped a beat as she felt Ulquiorra's immense spiritual pressure.

"Orihime, wait!"

She heard Ichigo's voice from behind, but she didn't stop. But the immense pressure had her falling to her knees at first. Ulquiorra always had a strong spiritual pressure, but this was different, yet familiar. This was his second release. Getting up, she ran towards the direction where his reiatsu was the strongest.

* * *

Although their battle wasn't long, for the hunter it felt like it had gone for hours. The Espada had changed forms twice, each time getting stronger. The hunter yelled for God's assistance, but none had arrived. As he had screamed, the Espada's claw-like hand had grabbed him by the neck.

_"Forgive me, God, for I have failed you…"_

"G-Go a-ahead, kill me… B-But just you know, Espada…. Th-There will b-be more co-coming for her,"

"Let them come. I will kill them all," Ulquiorra replied.

Firming his arm, he applied more pressure on the man's neck but stopped upon hearing her voice.

"Ulquiorra, wait!"

He turned his head towards her, frightening amber eyes meeting her wide gray ones. She stood a few feet away from him, her left hand clasped to her chest. This was the second time she was seeing him in his second form, and he sensed the fear within her. However, it wasn't fear towards him.

_This is different._

"I want to do it," she said.

"Very well,"

The hunter glanced at her and laughed. "You can't kill me, girl. You may be the daughter of one of the strongest witches to have ever lived, but you're weak! You're nothing but pathetic. Even if I die, more will come!"

Blocking his senseless remarks, Orihime recited the spell in her head before chanting it outloud. It was a spell that her mother created with the help of the mirror. Now, the mirror was able to teach it to her.

The hunter watched her before suddenly realizing what was happening. He attempted to stand but fell back on his knees as a black pentagram appeared beneath him. Small fires appeared on each point of the star. She felt her skin tingle, but didn't panic. The mirror had told her about this part last night when she practiced.

_"I'm green!"_

_"A witch's physical appearance changes as they become stronger, girl."_

"I can't believe it," the hunter mumbled as the witch, whose skin turned green and eyes black, stared at him as she continued chanting.

"She's...different," Rukia said, and the others nodded in agreement.

The pentagram suddenly lifted before contracting, causing the hunter to scream in pain. His injured body was raised with the pentagram, blood dripping onto the sand. Orihime repeated the last few words of the chant, watching as the man's body began to break.

"You will feel the wrath of God for this, witch! You'll see! You-"

There was silence as the hunter exploded, bodily particles flying in all directions. She summoned her Shun Shun Rikka immediately, shielding all of them from the bloody pieces.

As the last few pieces finally hit the ground, her shield disappeared and she felt her skin and eyes return to their normal colors.

"Shit, didn't know you had it in ya, Princess," Grimmjow said with a smirk.

"And your skin and eyes were different! That was so cool!" Nel exclaimed.

Orihime laughed nervously as her gaze met everyone's intrigued faces. "Thanks! I-I wouldn't have been able to do it without Ulquiorra's help. The hunter had to be severely injured for me to do this,"

Ulquiorra, who had been there last night when she first practiced, didn't say anything as he transformed back to his original self. He placed his hand on her lower back, noticing the imbalance of her stance.

"You've exerted yourself, Orihime,"

"Y-Yeah," with a weak nod, "That was much harder than I thought…"

His arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest, uncaring of the audience gaping at them. If there was one thing that her witch powers did to improve, it was her confidence. She was no ordinary human with some powers. She was part of a coven, and with that information she knew that her growth was just beginning.

"Let's go home," Orihime said tiredly, and Ulquiorra obliged by opening a garganta.

But as the group readied to leave, another reiatsu was felt. One belonging to a shinigami. Turning around, the group stared as the lieutenant exited his own garganta, a stern look in his face.

Orihime gulped as angry his eyes were on her and her only. This was the first time she officially laid eyes on this man, but knew who exactly he was.

"Chōjirō Sasakibe,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the awesome comments in the previous chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

Regardless of his relationship with Orihime, Ulquiorra would never trust Soul Society. Not because he was a Hollow, and Hollows naturally disliked Shinigamis. But because those with high power in Soul Society were corrupt. Surprisingly enough, Aizen was not the first Shinigami to escape and take refuge in Hueco Mundo. And while Ulquiorra didn't care where these shinigamis took refuge, it did make him wonder about the politics and corruption that would drive these shinigamis to leave.

Unless it was a direct order from Aizen, Ulquiorra cared less about the Soul Reapers. He wouldn't bother with fighting them.

Nonetheless, Lieutenant Sasakibe was one Soul Reaper he wanted to kill. He knew that the Shinigami had something to do with the hunter's will for killing Orihime. His hand went to the hilt of Murcielago, ready to slain the Shinigami, but Urahara's voice stopped him.

"Don't do it, Ulquiorra. He is Yamamoto's lieutenant, and if you kill him, you will have all of Soul Society coming after you,"

He knew that Urahara was right, even though a big part of him wanted to rip the vice captain to shreds and show him despair.

"What are you doing here?" Ulquiorra asked, his arm still wrapped around Orihime. The spell she had performed to kill the hunter had drained her tremendously, and he could feel her shaking. She needed rest as soon as possible.

"I want to speak to her," the lieutenant said, nodding towards Orihime.

Orihime placed a hand on Ulquiorra's chest and looked up at him, "I want to speak with him too. I want to know what he knows about my mother,"

"Very well,"

Turning around fully, she looked at the shinigami directly. "What do you know about my mother?"

The lieutenant gave her a smile, staring into the night sky of Hueco Mundo as if reliving a past life, "She is the only woman I have fallen in love with. Her beauty alone captivated me the moment I first met her. She had a gorgeous smile, and always visited me. Eventually, she became my sun. We almost became...inseparable…"

Orihime noticed how the Shinigami's eyes sparkled upon describing her mother. It left her speechless.

_He really was in love with her...probably still is…_

"Even though she was different...she was something else… I was planning on marrying her. I wanted a future with her, even if it meant resigning as Captain Yamamoto's right hand man,"

The Shinigami then released a dismal sight, and his gaze went back to her. The sparkle in his eyes left, replaced with hatred and jealousy.

"But then one day, while on patrol and she had come along, we had saved a man from a Hollow. The man, a mere human, was a fighter despite knowing that the Hollow would've shred him to pieces had we not been there. I saw the man as foolish, and weak. She, however, fell in love with him. I refused to take notice at first… Her visits became less frequent and less intimate right away… And it wasn't long enough before her visits stopped completely.

It was during one of my missions that I became aware of what was going on. I had a suspicion, and sought the man we had saved months prior. Just as I got closer, I instantly felt her. She was there with him, showing him spectacular tricks and spells… I could see from his face that he was in love with her, not scared of her. I suddenly became jealous of your father, and did everything I could to have him killed,"

Orihime's eyes widened at the revelation, her body almost slumping to the ground had it not been for Ulquiorra's support.

"I learned quickly though," Chōjirō continued, "that it wasn't possible. Your mother had placed a spell on him that guards him from any threats. The spell was strong, and it just goes to show what an incredible woman she is. Surprisingly, I wasn't upset. If anything, it made me love her even more...and pray that one day she would return to me. But I knew that day would never come when I found out that she was pregnant...with you… The news had affected me to the point that Captain Yamamoto had threatened to remove me from my position… and I knew that I had to do something in order to move on…"

The shinigami stopped talking, which raised sudden suspicion of the events that took place afterwards. Ulquiorra felt a slight spike in Orihime's spiritual pressure, and he looked down at her. She stepped away from him as her shoulders squared, and he felt the sudden anger rising within her. Despite being low in energy, she raised a finger towards the shinigami.

"Y-You...were responsible for my parents' disappearance!" she accused, and the shinigami gave a slow nod.

"Witches are constantly targeted by hunters, angels who serve under a God. It's parallel to how we target Hollows… I reached out to this organization for help. But things didn't go as planned-"

"You had them killed!" Orihime finally screamed, her tears rolling down her face.

Her fists shook, the spell she had previously performed swirling through her mind. The shinigami's jealousy trickled a cascading of unfortunate events in her life: her being adopted by her abusive uncle and his wife. How they would beat her, and if it hadn't been for Sora, she would have been dead. Even after being rescued by her cousin and the two of them living together, the two of them struggled. Sora, although older than her, wasn't qualified enough for many of the vacant jobs. For months, they relied on limited income from other family members. After he got his job, things became better for the two of them, until his death.

The pentagram appeared beneath Chōjirō, shocking the Soul Reaper. He watched as her skin turned green, eyes as black as night, and she started to chant something. His eyes widened, and for a second he thought he saw Misaki.

_She looks...just like her mother…_

"Orihime, don't!" came Rukia's voice, but the half-witch didn't want to stop.

"Orihime," it was Ulquiorra this time, and his hands were on her arms, "You need to stop. You will injure yourself further,"

Her legs trembled, causing the spell to weaken and the pentagram to disappear. She suddenly felt her body shutting down, her vision turning blurry. Ulquiorra's left arm was on her back as his other were under her knees, picking her up as she felt herself lose consciousness.

"You should leave," Urahara finally spoke up, directing his message to the vice captain before them.

Chōjirō nodded, re-opening his garganta. But as he was about to exit, he looked back at the Espada carrying the unconscious girl. "Before I leave, I do not want to clarify one thing. One thing that will ease her mind. I did not order those men to kill her mother. When her mother gave birth, something happened… I think she knew that they were after her and she did..._something_…"

"You're implying that her mother is still alive," Ulquiorra stated.

The shinigami sighed, "It's been many years since I last saw her. But if there's one thing I know about Misaki, it's her strong ability in casting complex spells to move through worlds within minutes. So far, her body has not been found,"

* * *

_Four months later…_

Tomorrow was the last day of school before the start of a two-month summer break, and Orihime couldn't be more excited. She planned this moment shortly after coming back from Hueco Mundo. After waking up from a near twenty-hour deep sleep (the spell she had performed impacted her body and mind to that degree), Ulquiorra had told her everything from the moment she lost consciousness. She remembered Chojiro telling her about his relationship with her mother, and his jealousy towards her father. From that moment, after attempting to perform the spell again, she had lost consciousness.

_"He believes your mother is still alive, somehow," Ulquiorra said, twirling her long orange locks with his fingers._

_She sat on his lap with the back of her head leaning against his shoulder. She had woken up a few hours ago, her mind dizzy. After drinking some hot tea and eating a well balanced meal, she had regained her energy._

_"He was in love with her," she mumbled, "Still is…"_

_Her eyes landed on the mirror lying next to them. The white face wasn't present, but she knew that he was still there. A sudden thought came to her mind, and she grabbed it._

_"Mirror…"_

_"Yes, girl?"_

_"What truly happened to my parents the day I was born?"_

_"Your mother had performed powerful spells that day. There were two hunters present. Although a mere human, your father's belief in the Catholic church stalled them. They were reluctant to kill a human who spoke the same language as them, who prayed to the same God. And although your father's belief in the Church was genuine, his love for your mother was even more. By the time the hunters realized what had happened, it was too late for them. Your mother's magic not only killed them, but allowed her to shield you from them until you reached near adulthood. Unfortunately, she was weak from giving birth and lost consciousness as her last spell began to take place. Your father's brother, the man who you initially thought was your father, witnessed it all, and the experience was too much for his human mind to comprehend."_

_Orihime and Ulquiorra gave a surprised look._

_"Wait," she said, "My uncle knew about this? But he didn't say anything when he spoke to me days ago."_

_"Girl," the mirror said seriously, "The man was a simple human who had witnessed a witch slaughter two powerful hunters shortly after giving birth. Before then, he had no idea witches even existed, or what magic was. The spells took a toll on her, and as she and your father disappeared, the man was left confused and alone with a newborn halfwitch,"_

_Orihime thought about her uncle, wondering if seeing all of that had caused the man to rely on alcohol as a coping mechanism. Especially if there was no one who would listen to him in regards to magic, hunters, witches and how his brother disappeared due to all of that. And all of the sudden, Orihime felt sadder for the man. In a way, she could relate. She also used alcohol as a coping mechanism after coming back from Hueco Mundo, remembering how Ulquiorra had turned to dust. At that time, there was no one she could have talked to about it, and the taste of alcohol allowed her to forget, even if it was temporarily._

_"You said my mother disappeared, along with my father. Does that mean they aren't dead?"_

_"It's hard to explain," the mirror said, "Your mother is a very skilled woman. If she was truly dead, I would have known. But right now….I am unable to locate her."_

_"Where would we start?" she asked, "If we were to look?"_

_"If I had to guess, the place where she was born,"_

* * *

As soon as school had finished and summer vacation officially started, Orihime waved goodbye to her friends and rushed home. She wanted to start her journey as soon as possible. She had spent last night packing some items for both her and Ulquiorra, with the intention of them being away for at most two months.

Her friends were not fond of the idea of her going away for that much time, yet understood why she had to do it. The events from four months ago left more questions than answers, especially regarding the whereabouts of her parents. The location in which they were heading to worried them, and they begged her to bring them along. She had kindly refused, and reassured them that Ulquiorra would be there. After all, this was her story, her journey.

"I'm home!" Orihime announced, taking off her shoes and dropping her school bag to the floor.

Ulquiorra, who was leaning against the wall, watched her as she disappeared into the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, she came back out wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was braided, hair pins hidden underneath her bangs. She grabbed the small packed backpack, mentally ensuring that she had everything she needed, especially the mirror and the photograph of her mother.

"Ready?" Ulquiorra, who was in a stronger gigai, asked.

"Yes," she replied, placing her hand in his.

The softness in his eyes almost made her melt, and she suddenly realized that this was the first time they would be taking a journey together.

"Ulquiorra?"

"Yes,"

"Are you...sure that you want to come? I mean, I don't want to force you to do something you don't like… If you rather go back to Hueco Mundo, then it's OK with me! I have the mirror, he can help me-"

"Orihime," he interrupted, grabbing her chin with his fingers, "What led you to the conclusion that I do not wish to come along?"

She opened her mouth, but closed it immediately.

"You are assuming things which aren't there," he continued, pulling her closer to him, "I would be a fool to let you do this alone. No matter where you choose to go, I will be there by your side,"

He gave her a long kiss, feeling her body melt against his as she deepened it. He wanted to punish her for having the audacity to even think that he would let her do this alone. He knew that expressing his feelings was still new to him, and it would take time for him to tell her how each day, his heart wanted her more. That little by little, he was finally understanding the concept of love. And his love for her is the driver for protecting her against all foes.

She broke the kiss and gave him a wide smile, her cheeks tinted her. "Thank you, Ulquiorra,"

She took a deep sigh, "I guess it's time we get going,"

The Espada nodded, and she began to chant the spell the mirror had taught her months ago. It was a transportation spell, one that her mother used whenever visiting Soul Society and the human world.

A small white sphere appeared in her living room, and it suddenly grew. Hand in hand, the two entered it and watched as there was nothing but white space around them. For a moment as nothing else happened, Orihime became nervous and was ready to call the mirror for help. Nonetheless, the whiteness disappeared, and they both looked around as nothing but trees surrounded them. By just sensing the type of energy around, she knew that they were here: the location populated with witches and warlocks. The home of Lucifer's followers.

Remembering what the mirror had told her about blending in with the other magical beings, Orihime performed a simple spell as her and Ulquiorra's attire changed.

His changed to black slacks with a long sleeve black button-down shirt, a long black coat draping around his shoulders.

Hers changed to a long black strapless dress, a small cape by the back as a pointy black witch hat appeared on her head.

Wrapping her arm around his, the pair walked towards the nearest town as their quest officially began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end! Thank you so much for reading! I purposely chose to end the story here since the whole point of the fic was about the hunter coming after her. Now that that's been dealt with, it's time for her next journey as a half-witch with Ulquiorra! I didn't want to make her into this sudden super strong witch and etc... This next journey for her is to not only figure out where her parents are (what happened to them), but also to keep growing as a witch! And of course, she will be doing this with Ulquiorra by her side!
> 
> Hope you guys liked this story, overall! I have thought about a sequel, but will think about it more before writing it out. One thing's for sure, it'll include even more witches ;)
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading & let me know what you guys thought


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